Camelot

Ten - Emrys

~Author's Note~

Please note that some characters in this chapter, along with the scene of Thomas Collins' execution, have been adapted/recreated from the BBC series 'The Adventures of Merlin'. I do not own the scene, nor the characters. This chapter has been edited in 2019. Please feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below. Thank you x 

Ten – Emrys

The ceremony ended in applause, with Arthur and I turning away from each other to beam at the applauding crowd. Madeline, Jensen and Leith were clapping furiously, and I even thought I saw tear tracks on Madeline's normally serious face. Jensen was making no effort to hide her obvious tears.

As was tradition, a feast was to take place immediately following the ceremony. The guests of the wedding were to arrive before we were, where we would then make a grand entrance after Uther's arrival. In the meantime, we were whisked away by Geoffrey of Monmouth to tend to the legal aspects of our marriage.

It felt as though the signing of the various pieces of parchments took hours, with the sun much lower in the sky before we finally left for the dining chamber. Again, we were welcomed in with a thundering applause, before taking our place at the royal table with Uther and Morgana.

"I see Geoffrey kept you busy," Uther laughed, watching as the two of us sat down and immediately exhaled in relief.

"Well, given that Emalia is a Queen, there is much more involved than just a simple marriage certificate," Arthur said, eagerly welcoming the servant who filled our goblets with wine. "When we were sorting out these papers earlier, I didn't really think about the fact that I was the one who had to sign them all."

I picked up my goblet the moment it was full and drank deeply, being awarded an amused look from Morgana. I did not feel as though the two of us had grown close during the last few weeks, yet her expression made me feel as though we had been close for quite some time.

Arthur and his Father had now dropped their voices to engage in a quieter, more serious conversation. I was sure it would have been about politics, given that Uther had been so particular about the paperwork that the two of us had just signed. I was sure he was currently giving Arthur the third degree about our future reign, something which I was clearly not privy to.

With Morgana sitting on the other side of Uther and being too far to start a conversation with without having to yell over the two men between us, I took another deep drink from my goblet and began to look around the room.

In the typical order of nobility, the tables closest to our own were filled with nobleman and important visitors to the castle. I was pleased to see Madeline and Leith sitting across from Gaius, engaging in a pleasant conversation. It would have been nice to join them, yet I felt as though I could not depart the royal table to sit with them.

I could not hear their conversation over the general level of noise in the room, alongside the music that was playing nearby. Madeline appeared to be holding court, with whatever she was saying sending Leith and Gaius into fits of laughter.

She must have felt my gaze on her, for her own eyes flitted up to meet mine. It was as though everything slowed suddenly, and a feeling of uneasiness washed through me. Her blue eyes were on mine for only the briefest moment, before they rolled back into her head and her eyes became glassy. A single word in her voice sounded through my mind.

"Help."

I grasped Arthur's elbow, attempting to find the least rude way to interrupt his talk with the King. He immediately turned towards me, allowing me to make a simple excuse about needing air and head over to Madeline's table without haste.