The Future of Camelot

Meeting the Queen

Merlin saw Arthur slip away from their group, but he couldn't get to him. When he tried to go back, some guards pushed him out. He stumbled into Gwaine, who stood him upright.

"Where's Arthur?" Gwen asked, looking around.

"Back in there!" Merlin told her, pointing at the door to the council room.

"Can he actually be so stupid?" asked Morgana. "Is he really going to try talking to her?"

"He is exactly that stupid," Gwen said, running her hands through her hair. "Oh, Arthur. Merlin, can you hear what's happening in there?" Merlin put his hand on the door. A light spread out from it, and with the light an opening through which they were able to see clearly into the council room. Gwaine hit Merlin and hissed,

"What are you doing? Can't the queen see us?" Merlin gave him a do you really think I would be so stupid? look, and Gwaine withdrew.

"Because you are my mother," Arthur said. Ygraine stared at him.

"I don't have any children," she said. In a smaller voice she continued, "I can't."

"Right, I know. I'm not your son. You, but not you are my mother." She stared. "Okay, that's confusing." He began to pace as he found the words to explain.

"I come from a different world. In that world, Uther used magic so that you could bear a child, and you died because of that. I was that child."

"Uther used magic to cure my infertility?" Ygraine asked. Arthur nodded. His mother clutched her stomach and breathed heavily. Arthur went to her and took her hand.

"Do you believe me?" he asked gently. She gazed up at him with her big blue eyes and clasped his hand. Ygraine nodded sadly.

"Uther might have done that had I not had magic to stop him. I always wanted a child, but nobody told me how to cure myself."

"Of course," Arthur realized. "Nimueh is in the last world, so she can't be here. What is it?" Ygraine was staring at the door. Arthur turned around and stared straight at Merlin.

"Merlin," Gwaine said between gritted teeth. "I thought you said they couldn't see us."

"To be fair, I never actually said anything . . ." said Merlin. Arthur walked up to the magic window in the door.

"Merlin," he said with forced calmness. "What, the hell, are you doing?" He yanked the door open and pulled his servant inside. The others slipped in as well and Morgana shut the door behind them.

"Who are you?" Ygraine asked. "And why are you spying on me?"

"Mother, this is my servant. Well, not my servant any longer," Arthur remembered. "His name is Merlin. He's a very powerful warlock. We all came over from another world." Arthur introduced their other companions and Merlin attempted to explain how they came to be in this world.

"We lived in a land much like this one. All of us died eventually, except me. I unwittingly crossed into another world hundreds of years ago. I lived there, until I came across Morgana and Guinevere in a coffee shop. Everyone else came soon after that. Nimueh, a High Priestess, told us that we were brought back to save this world. We went through the same gate I inadvertently went through, and it brought us here. A Camelot much like our own, but with some obvious differences in events."

Ygraine seemed to believe them. She listened intently to Merlin's tale and silently processed it when he finished.

"You are all knights?" Ygraine asked in confusion. She was looking at Morgana and Gwen.

"Guinevere is my wife," Arthur told his mother. "And Morgana is - " He stopped, unsure of whether to tell the truth.

"What is she?" Ygraine asked.

"Vivienne was my mother," Morgana said. "Gorlois was my father." Ygraine's eyes narrowed.

"You're lying," she hissed. In a second she was at Morgana's throat and pushing her against a wall. Merlin protested, but Ygraine didn't let go. "You are lying!"

"No, I'm not," Morgana managed to say, even though her throat was being squeezed by her brother's mother. "Gorlois was the only father I ever knew."

"But he wasn't your father." Ygraine wasn't asking a question, she was stating a fact. "What aren't you telling me?" Morgana gritted her teeth stubbornly and kept silent. Arthur answered for her.

"Uther is her father," he said quietly. "He and Vivienne." Ygraine nodded and laughed bitterly.

"Of course. I know of his affair with her, of course. She's dead now, so it doesn't matter. And he will soon be dead, as well."

"What?" asked Arthur. "Is he dying?" Ygraine laughed.

"Of course not, dear! Not of any illness, anyway. He's being killed tomorrow. Is something wrong?" Her hand was still on Morgana's neck. It tightened every time Arthur mentioned his father.

"Of course there is! You can't kill your husband!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Why not? He killed me. You told me. In your world he - "

"Please!" Merlin interrupted. "Please, let go of Morgana." Ygraine looked at the woman she choked as if she had forgotten about her. She smiled.

"No, I don't think I will. I think I would like to keep her. A reminder of Uther's wrongs." Ygraine stroked her step-daughter's face. "I would like to display you before all of Camelot as proof of Uther's cruelty and infidelity. Such a pretty face. So like your mother's. I knew her, you know. We were the best of friends." The hand tightened around Morgana's throat again, and the younger woman couldn't even cry out.

"And then she betrayed me." Ygraine squeezed so hard that Morgana was clearly struggling for even the smallest breath. Silent tears ran down her cheeks.

"I said, let. Her. Go." Merlin extended his hand and Ygraine was flung backwards. She looked at him in surprise. He didn't pay any attention to her; he was too busy making sure Morgana was alright. She had angry red marks on her neck and gasped for air.

"Mother, please!" Arthur begged. "Please don't do this. Don't hurt my family." Ygraine struggled to her feet and looked at him curiously.

"I apologize, my son." Arthur gave her a pointed look and she said to Morgana, "I'm sorry." Morgana still couldn't speak so she just nodded. Ygraine looked back at Arthur. "Did I detect reluctance in my decree of killing Uther?"

"He's my father," Arthur said quietly. This caused Ygraine to narrow her eyes at Morgana.

"You wouldn't admit that Uther was your father. Why?" Morgana looked at her steadily. In her scratchy voice, she said,

"Because I hate him."

Ygraine smiled. "Then it seems we have a problem," she said. "You want him dead, as I do, and yet your brother disagrees. Who else wants the king to live?" Nobody answered. Leon shifted uncomfortably, but even he didn't respond.

"Please Mother," Arthur pleaded. "He's my father, and I love him. He was taken from me by - someone else close to me, before his time." Morgana looked down. Ygraine noticed, but she only smiled. "Please?" Arthur begged again.

"He will die tomorrow," Ygraine commanded. "You will be announced as my true heir just before your father burns." When Arthur opened his mouth to protest, she silenced him with a raised hand. "If anyone tries to save him, they will perish beside him."