The Death of a King (AU)

[morg]

What if... Uther died in season 1?

Setup: In Season 1, Episode 12, Morgana is angry with Uther for having Gwen's father killed, and for throwing Morgana in the dungeon for questioning him. She plots with the sorcerer Tauren to set up Uther for an ambush, but at the last minute she changes her mind and warns Uther before Tauren can strike the fatal blow. A fight ensues, and when Tauren has the king pinned and is about to strike the final blow, Morgana stabs Tauren. But what if she fails to kill him?

Severely injured from the stab wound, Tauren turns on Morgana, knowing that she has betrayed him. But she is armed only with a small dagger, and is knocked down by Tauren. Seeing his ward in danger, Uther jumps up to defend her, and is mortally wounded by Tauren, who then flees. Merlin, who had been knocked unconscious by Tauren, only woke up in time to see the end of it, and couldn't help.

Uther does not die right away, but lives long enough to make it back to Camelot. Although Gaius tries to save him, it is too late. With his dying breaths, Uther says goodbye to Arthur and Morgana, revealing that Morgana is really his daughter.

Morgana is tormented and wracked with guilt over Uther's death, knowing that it was her fault, even though she changed her mind at the last moment. Arthur is young and inexperienced, and many feel he is not ready to be king. The vultures begin to circle--neighboring kings and warlords and sorcerers, all looking to influence the young king--or overthrow him. Meanwhile, Tauren is still out there...

Will Arthur bring magic back to the kingdom? Will he be able to hold on to his throne? Will Morgana turn evil? Will Gwen still marry Arthur? And will Merlin reveal his magic?





The king's funeral was tomorrow. Morgana should have been in bed, but she couldn't sleep. Sleep had often been difficult for her, with her vivid nightmares, but now all her dreams were of that terrible moment. She had plotted to kill Uther. Why had she agreed to do such a thing? Yes, Uther could be cruel at times, and he had been wrong to have Gwen's father killed. But killing him was not an acceptable solution.

She had changed her mind, but too late. Tauren had attacked... and she had failed to kill him. Instead, Uther died defending her against Tauren. No one knew the whole story... and that was the worst part. Her guilt ate away at her, because no matter what anyone told her, she knew the truth. Uther's death was all her fault.

Morgana pulled the green velvet cloak--the one Uther had always told her was his favorite--over her head and continued walking down the hall toward the crypt, where Uther's body was being kept. Tomorrow he would be buried officially, and Arthur would be crowned king of Camelot. Morgana wanted to be happy for him, but all she could feel was guilt. What if he wasn't ready to be king? Because of her foolish actions, he was being thrust onto the throne too soon.

She made her way down the main staircase and began to head toward the crypt. As she did, she heard footsteps coming from the nearby kitchen, and she stopped, turning around to see who was coming.

Timeline: season 1, after episode 12 ("To Kill The King"), night
Location: Castle downstairs, near the kitchens
Tag: Merlin or Arthur
What if: Uther died in season 1?

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur felt like he was stuck in a dream. A horrible, terrifying nightmare; one that there was no escape from. He had never felt so lost in his entire life, than he did today. The day his father died. While the life of a king and any nobility was highly unpredictable, his father was taken well before he should have been. Though there was great honor in his death -- risking his life to save Morgana's -- that still made the loss no easier to cope with. Uther was gone. Camelot's king was dead. And Arthur would replace him. It was too soon. He knew that. Everyone knew that. He had been in meetings with the council for practically the entire day. Everyone was advising him on basically everything. They didn't say it but Arthur could tell; he could see it in their eyes and hear it in the tone of their voices . . . no one thought him ready for this role. And no one believed this more than Arthur himself.

With the king dead, Camelot as vulnerable. Their enemies would choose now to attack, and war was not too far. The council were advising him about truce talks, about treaties, about . . . marriage. Ah yes. They all thought it would greatly benefit the kingdom if he married for political gain -- as was expected of most all royals. But how could he even think of such things? Despite all the talking, advising, and whatever other discussions ensued, all Arthur could think about was his father. All he could feel was his heart aching at an unbearable rate. His father was gone from this world, reunited with Igraine. Yet there was another thought that was not so far removed . . . and that was the truth about Morgana. That she was in fact, his biological sister. The shock of the news had been numbed by the pain of Uther's death. And Arthur just didn't know how to cope with anything.

He was incredibly grateful when night came, for he would be able to retire to his chambers. He sent Merlin early, not wanting to talk to anyone. No. That was untrue. There was one person he wished to speak to, yet he knew that there would be no reply. Clad in trousers, boots, and a casual white shirt -- with his sword in his sword belt around his waist just in case -- Arthur made his way to where his father's body was being held until the funeral tomorrow. Everything felt different, but it all felt so wrong. He knew that one day he would be king, he just hadn't expected it to be this soon. No one had expected it. Making his way there with a torch in hand, he chose the path that would be the least populated, for he did not wish to speak to anyone right now. He did not want to hear them express their sympathies. As kind as it was of them, Arthur's heart couldn't bare it.

As he entered the crypt, he'd been so lost in thought that it took him a second to realize that someone else with his father. The light from his torch made them recognized, yet Arthur would easily recognize her anywhere. "Morgana," he said, unsure as to what emotion came out in his voice. Perhaps there was an array of emotions. Perhaps there was no emotion at all. "If you, require some time alone with him, I can return later," he offered, unsure as to whether she would be welcoming of his presence, or in refusal of it. He had not had the chance to speak to her a lot today, nor did they have the chance to mourn together. Seeing her now made the truth resurface in his mind. Morgana was his sister. And they had both lost their father today.

[morg]

Morgana nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice. She had barely seen him since Uther’s death, and that was at least partly by her own design. She hadn’t wanted to see him, couldn’t bring herself to face him. He had been busy with meetings and counsels all day anyway, but she had taken care to avoid him as much as possible, and had actually spent much of the day in her chambers.

It was just so hard to look him in the face, knowing that this was all her fault. It didn’t even really matter that she had changed her mind at the last moment, because Uther had died to save her. Adding to her guilt was the shocking fact that she was actually his daughter, and not merely his ward. She had tried to have her own father killed. How could she have done such a thing? Now both she and Arthur were without a father, and Arthur was thrust onto the throne before he was ready.

“Hello, Arthur,” she said softly, looking up at the man she now knew to be her brother. He looked much the same way she imagined she did—tired, sad, and drained. He had a lot on his shoulders now, and she was the one who had put it there.

“I was just…” She stopped. It was obvious what she was doing; it was the same thing he was doing. They both wanted to see their father, to say their own private farewells to the frustrating, complicated man. “We could see him together, if you’d like.”

A tear trickled down her cheek and she held her hand out to him, almost pleadingly. She wanted his forgiveness, even though she hadn’t the heart to ask for it.