Beauty and the Beast

[Arthur Pendragon]

The King had asked Arthur to dine with him. After the Prince's near death experience, he thought it would probably be good to spend some time with the King without his . . . wife . . . his, troll wife . . . his Queen Troll. Arthur started chuckling on his way to the dining hall. He would have to control his laughter as he had a feeling his father was in no mood. Arthur wondered if the king knew what he had done. Besides, be intimate with a troll . . . but in addition to that, disowning his son, and . . . marrying a troll. Arthur laughed again. He stopped outside the doors, waiting to get the last smile out before straightening himself up and entering.

"Sire," he greeted, using all his strength to keep a straight face. His poor father. He looked exhausted . . . or maybe that was just extreme disgust. Arthur was about to find out. He took a seat at the opposite end of the table. Control yourself Arthur . . . Control yourself he told himself. "How are you feeling?" he asked. There was genuine concern in the question, but he had to work rather hard to conceal any amusement. Unfortunately, he was not sure how long he would be able to keep it in . . . he had to have a whole meal with his father and he had a feeling, mid way, he was going to burst into a fit of laughter.

_{Setting: Dining hall in Camelot Castle
Time of Day: Dinner time
Timeline: Shortly after Beauty and the Beast Part II
Tag: Uther Pendragon}

[kinguthersqueen]

Uther was feeling a lot of things, but he wasn't going to speak of all of them. It wasn't the sorcery that repulsed him so badly, or the fact that the creature had decieved him into marriage. It was the knowledge that it had tricked him to the point of having intimate relations with it. He felt bile rising in his throat, and a wave of nausea, and had to push the thoughts aside if he wanted his dinner to stay down.

He was angered and saddened that the creature had played on his lonliness, his the broken-heartedness he still felt so intensely over thee loss of Igraine. And worse, it had used the facade of an old friend to do so. He also felt shamed by his actions concerning Arthur. He was only relieved that the prince wasn't still angry. He knew that his father had no control over his actions at the time.

" I am...frustrated, I would say. Angered that I allowed myself to be enchanted in such a fashion. And that the enchantment forced me to act in such a way toward you. I am only grateful that you did not relent until I was cured" he replied.

"I must order that you do not ever speak of the things of a physical nature that the creature decieved me into taking part in. It is best forgotten by both of us." He could not stop his nose wrinkling slightly as he spoke. He could tell from Arthur's eyes that he was thinking about it, and he certainly did not like it.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was trying very hard not to laugh right now. This entire dinner, he was going to use all of his strength to refrain from bursting into a fit of amusement. Arthur did have to admit though that he was surprised to hear his father -- somewhat -- apologize for what had happened. He gave him a sincere look, to show that he had accepted whatever his father decided, but Arthur could not help from making a joke. "Does this mean that a troll will no longer rule the kingdom?" The Prince couldn't help it. He was of course referring to the fact that he had been disinherited and Lady Katrina -- the troll -- had taken his play as the next heir of Camelot. So even though Arthur tried not to laugh, he had to make at least one joke about this.

Best forgotten. Yes, it was best forgotten. Was it easily forgotten? Absolutely not. "I understand," Arthur said, trying to once again hold back a chuckle. "And it was quite a deception indeed . . . after all, how many nights was it that you shared a bed with a troll?" Arthur would never dare say these things, and tease his father in the presence of other people, whether they be knights or servants. He publicly held a great deal of respect for his father, but right now, they were alone and that is what encouraged Arthur to keep teasing his poor father . . . who had been married to a troll. Arthur took a bite of his food so that he did not laugh, but he still had a very amused look on his face.

[kinguthersqueen]

Uther knew that Arthur was ribbing him, provoking him but in a humorous way rather than a way that would anger him. He returned glares now and then, but didn't really start yelling or anything. And sometimes, he was unable to prevent himself from a slight chuckle or small smile, try as he would to suppress it. Inside, it was actually somewhat enjoyable, although it wasn't his nature to express that aloud. He had to be hard on Arthur to prepare him for his future, and there were so few instances where they acted any semblance of a normal father and son.

"No, no" he said. "I should hope not."

The struggle not to laugh got harder when Arthur ribbed him about sharing his bed. He knew this was a purely private thing, that he wouldn't dare do it when anyone else was around, which was a relief. Still, the very mention of it disgusted him and likely always would. He couldn't avoid wanting to laugh and cry about it at the same time.

"As I said, never speak of it. The very notion is revolting. I wish it could be thoroughly cleansed from my mind." he replied.

[Arthur Pendragon]

This time, Arthur chuckled. His chuckle however was just a small representation of how amused he really was. He was trying to control the hysterical laughter that would come at some point. He could tell that his father was horribly disturbed by the thought of having been in bed with a troll. Then again, he certainly couldn't blame him for that. Had Arthur been in his position . . . no. He did not even want to think about what he would have done in his father's position. "Do you ever think it will be?" Arthur asked, trying to sound concerned but it was practically impossible to fully conceal the humor of everything.

"Or has she scarred you for life, and . . . traumatized you beyond repair." Arthur chuckled again, only getting half of it out as he quickly took a sip of wine. While Arthur asked it in a teasing way, the Prince did wonder if his father ever planned to re marry at some point. No one had really thought so, of course that was until he had been under the spell . . . or was there some initial infatuation there? "So was the entire thing a spell, or were you truly taken by Lady Katrina before . . . her true self was revealed." He paused. "To be a troll," he added, unable to help himself.

[kinguthersqueen]

Uther knew that Arthur was getting a lot of amusement from this incident, and he was also fully aware from the start of the fact that forbidding him to speak of it was pointless. He could see his son's struggle to contain his laughter, even though the questions he was asking were serious and not at all funny. Arthur was trying his best to be serious as he talked, and Uther knew it, so he was trying his best not to yell at him or make him feel bad. At least, he thought, Arthur was making a point not to speak of the physical portion of the experience.

The last question was a bit more serious, not in what was directly asked, but in the thoughts it provoked inside him. He was honestly not certain which it truly was. He did not know if he could or would ever come to love anyone again. He was not even certain, truthfully, that anyone would ever be able to love him now, that it might not be too late. He was not certain that his heart was too badly broken, his soul too empty, to ever consider such a possiblity. It was not something he spoke of openly, naturally, but he did ponder it on occasion.


"I sadly doubt it, but I shall be making an effort to try. I fear that she has left some scars that will never fully leave me." he said.

"Perhaps a bit. I am not completely certain. It was...a comfort, it might be said, when I thought she was truly my old friend."

It had felt familiar, reassuring in a way,to him when he had thought she *was* his old friend. There had, indeed, been a bit of something attractive to him, not only the physical beauty, but the inner charm he had thought she possessed, before it turned out to be a lie.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was realizing more and more how vulnerable his father had been during the entire thing. Not just because he was enchanted under her dreadful spell, but because even before he started acting . . . ridiculous -- for lack of a better word -- there had been a strange spark between him and Lady Katrina. And so for her to use that familiarity against him, could not have been easy. Sadly, it would not allow all the humor in the situation to subside. It just made Arthur hate the troll even more for how he had manipulated his father. But such emotions were once they did not openly discuss. It was not the way Arthur was raised and it was not the nature of his father's personality.

"It certainly is cruel to use an old friend to create such emotions. Even more so now to understand that she is in fact . . . dead." How else would the troll have been able to assume her identity for so long. "Tell me something father," he began to say in a completely serious voice as he slightly leaned in as if he was about to say something very important. "How did you stand the smell?" He was using every part of him to keep his face serious, as it only added to the humor of the situation. "I mean, you did share a room, let alone a bed with her for all those nights . . . " He added causally, taking another bite of his food, hoping he did not choke on it.

[kinguthersqueen]

"Yes, yes, I quite agree. It simply made the creature all the more reprehensible and cruel. It makes me feel all the more revolted at the thought. It is the way of all magical creatures, and magic users. They know only evil and they desire only to twist men's minds and make them suffer. That is why they must be stopped. We are extremely fortunate that the deception was discovered."

"I only wish that the only method of ending it had not been what it was. Seeing you seemingly dead was nearly too much for me to bear, especially after already nearly losing you once before. As I've said, I would be crushed beyond hope if anything happened to either you or Morgana. Being king, being wealthy...it all means nothing if what is truly of importance to me is lost. And she...it caused me to turn against you in that way. It disgusts me."

"As for the smell, I believe the enchantment had something to do with it, suppressed it somehow. I really don't recall there being a great deal of odor. It would almost have to, really, because it's revolting enough to make one ill."

[Arthur Pendragon]

With all of the evil done using magic, Arthur could understand his father's hatred for it. Arthur had not yet seen any magic used for good, only sinister plots. Of course, he was not as harsh in his belief for punishments regarding those who used magic, or were associated with users of magic, but still. It made the Prince able to relate to his father's strong dislike for it. "I agree. Its certainly a relief that the deception didn't go any further than it did." Arthur had already been disowned, Merlin had been arrested -- which was ironic since he had been the one to first enlighten them to the truth about Lady Katrina -- so things had gone far enough. "Oddly enough, it was my servant Merlin who initially noticed the deception. I believe thats why Lady Katrina falsely accused him of theft, to get rid of him before he told others about the truth." Merlin had tried to tell Arthur, but it had not worked. After all, it was hard to believe someone telling you that your step mother was a troll without having any solid proof.

When the king began to admit how hard it was to see his son dead, Arthur was filled with guilt for forcing his father to witness that, even though he felt his actions were justified as it was really the only way to save the kingdom. His sudden expression of affection for Arthur surprised him, as he was not used to hearing his father speak in such a way. Arthur paused, looking at him, putting all jokes aside as this current subject was no joking matter. To hear his father speak in such a way . . . well, it was rare and usually was only the case when they came close to losing each other. "I apologize for that father," he admitted to him after a moments silence.

"It seemed your tears were the only way to break the enchantment." He paused, wondering if he should talk about why Arthur did not think it would be successful. Why not. They did not have conversations like these often, so may as well take advantage of it. "I must admit that I did not think the plan would work. I thought that after you disowned me, that you cared nothing for me any more." Arthur did not say this to make his father guilty or remind him of his actions as they had not been his own . . . Arthur said them as the one being guilty for admitting such a thing; for doubting his father so much.

After admitting such a thing, Arthur took another forkful of his food, trying not to lose his appetite as he recalled how terrible the smell had been. "It was unimaginable. No one could stand being in the same room as her, and yet, everyone still wanted to be with their king." He thought for a moment, holding back a chuckle. "Perhaps one of the worst suggestions was when you said to send an invitation to King Bayard for him to come and meet your new wife." That . . . would not have ended well.

[kinguthersqueen]

"I'm a bit surprised...the boy seems so...mentally afflicted...at times." Uther replied. "At least he had some small shred of intelligence, enough to discover what was going on.

Uther was only partially surprised at Arthur's words. He had been harsh, had probably given Arthur reason to think he didn't care anymore. That part of the whole thing still haunted him, even though it was all rectified now."I still did not want to see you die. I still cared for you. I only regret that it happened in the first place, that I was made to believe you were not fit to one day be king. I believe you do have the makings of a good king. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Uther could only nod as Arthur spoke about the smell. It had been blatantly obvious at the end, after the enchantment had been broken. He felt a shiver as he imagined the shame and humiliation the whole thing would have caused if disaster had not been averted and Bayard had come."Yes, I quite agree. I am only glad that we were saved such a humiliating experience."

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur knew that his father did not exactly approve of Merlin. That much had been clear with his refusal to allow Arthur to embark on the a journey to find the morteous flower for Merlin when he had come so close to death. Despite his father's lack of understanding, Arthur still considered Merlin to be a close friend, perhaps even his best friend. Now, saying those things was not common of Arthur, especially expressing such sentiments to his own father. It was the same reason he could not tell him about Guinevère. "True. Well, he certainly does deserve recognition for his actions. It seems to be more and more of a frequency. I don't think I've had a servant quite like him before," Arthur said in a tone which suggested that it was both a good thing and a bad thing . . . though in his opinion, definitely more of a good thing.

To continue to hear his father speak such things, believing he would make a fine king, well. . . it made Arthur more happy than he could express. He maintained composed, not allowing his emotions to be apparent in his actions, though they may be inwardly overwhelming him. He gave a bit of a smile, looking fondly at his father, with a strong admiration. Regardless of what had happened, he still respected him, and would forever do so. "Thank you Sire," he said respectfully, and with strong sincerity for he was truly grateful to hear such words, and it continued to give him hope that he was becoming more and more of the man that his father would be proud to call his son. "I wish there had been another way to avoid causing you such grief, but it worked out in the end," he said, not trying to draw more compliments from his father, or have him feel guilty for what he had done when he was not in his right mind. Arthur knew his limits, and even what he had heard so far from Uther was far more than he could have expected or imagined in one sitting.

"Indeed. I am not sure King Bayard would have been so eager to maintain peace with us if . . . they were to find out that there was a troll queen." Arthur let out a bit of a chuckle at the thought of a troll sitting on the throne. Which was of course what had actually happened, but it was funnier when trying to imagine the reactions of other royalty. "You should have seen the other knight's expressions when you suggested inviting him. I'm not sure if you do remember or not. Sir Leon was especially mortified." While Arthur had not been there when Uther announced it, he had talked to the others following it and they too had been horrified by the thought.

[kinguthersqueen]

Uther's views about the servants weren't a mystery to anyone. He was more concerned with the nobles, the people of his own class and status, and the servants were just simply there, a part of the background. If they were well behaved, they did as they were told and didn't complain. Uther understood some of the lesser nobles growing attached, most of them only had one or two servants and that was all, but it was more unusual for the prince to grow fond. There were certainly preferred servants for certain tasks and services, but Uther didn't concern himself with who served ho that much with the exception of a few more personal tasks.

"I'm surprised that he's able to do so, considering how inept and bumbling he often is. and how disrespectful he can get at times. I suppose appearances can be quite decieving at times. I won't forbid giving him some small sort of acknowledgement for his actions, considering what the consequences could have been if he hadn't persisted in alerting us."

He listened to what Arthur said about the method of breaking the troll spell, and nodded in agreement. The worst part was that it had been dangerous, Arthur could easily have died in reality.

"It seems you owe your life to your servant...didn't he ultimately use that scarf of his to give you the antidote for the draught? I know I don't recall seeing a bottle anywhere, and he was squeezing something into your mouth. You're fortunate he arrived in time. As I've said before, if anything happened to either you or Morgana, it would be devastating, but you...you are my only son. It would destroy me."

Granted, Arthur wasn't Uther's only child, but that was a secret Uther hoped to take to his grave with him. He would not hesitate to name Morgana his heir if Arthur were lost, but he hoped that need would never arise. Some might criticize him for throwing all his energy into Arthur, some might say Arthur needn't have been born. But Arthur was the only ruler Uther ever wanted to follow him. He loved Morgana dearly, but there was something...something unsettling about her at times, something he couldn't quite peg. He doubted she'd ever attempt to harm him, but she had inherited his fierce temper and stubbornness, and he sometimes thought she was even more stong willed than he himself was. There was simply something he didn't like, aside from the scandal of her illegitimacy, about the idea of her becoming queen.

"I doubt he would have been...and I shudder even more at the thought of having shown her to Cenred. He's always looking for an excuse to make war against us, and this would have spurred him to attack, I'm certain of it. Of course, our allies would not have been amused, either. I'm glad I never had to explain Catrina to Lord Godwin." Uther hoped to one day soon secure Arthur and Princess Elena in marriage, and she would have been mortified at the idea of a troll mother-in-law.

"Come to think of it, I do recall some of the expressions. Others I wish to forget...it had to have been downright distressing when I was kissing her...it..."

Still, Uther was most repulsed at the knowledge that he'd been intimate with it, much as he once was with Ygraine. He hid his inner turmoil and distress well, not only about that, but about what had already been discussed, the very idea that he'd been seduced,enspelled and taken advantage of through his heart.