link
Inside the train, Gwen stands by the door looking dejected. Her heart is aching and she doesn’t even know how to contain the pain. It creeps, leaving her dizzy. ‘Did I say all those things? Did I really say that?’ she thinks, trying to recall what has happened. Everything seems like a dream, but the pain she feels in her heart is real. She drops her bag, clutches her heart and slumps to the ground. Tears are rolling down, wetting her neck and her shirt but she doesn’t care about it anymore. Her breathing is coming in rapidly as she tries to restrain her tears but the pain in her heart increases as she remembers each and every word she told Arthur. ‘I broke his heart… I broke him,’ she thinks as she slams her head against the wall of the coach. ‘I’m sorry, Arthur… I’m so sorry,’ she thinks again and slams her head again and again until she felt slightly dizzy.
But the tears keep flowing down her cheek. Her lips tremble as she buries her face in her hands and cries her heart out. She knows Arthur will never forgive her, but she didn’t have a choice. She wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t forced, she would never hurt him even in her dreams, but now, not only has she broken his heart but she has shattered his strength as well. She fears for him. Will he be all right? Will he revert back to his old prattish self or will the rejection make him stronger? Gwen doesn’t know and she will never be able to find out from anyone… perhaps maybe from Merlin. One day.
Gwen looks up, her eyes swollen and painful. Merlin is the only one who’ll believe her. He is the only one suspicious of her behavior and he could be her only hope to find out about Arthur. But how will she do it? How can she ask Merlin without anyone else finding out? More tears flow from her already swollen eyes and Gwen’s heart aches like it is being ripped into shreds. She wishes none of this happened.
Why did she have to say all this to Arthur? Why did she have to face his wrath when their happiness was just a week away? Why is life so unfair to her? What did she do to deserve such a punishment? Where did she fail? Question after question floods her brain until she feels sick to her stomach. Something rings; her phone. Gwen sniffs and picks up her phone, her eyes reddening further when she spots Uther’s name on it. She wants to throw the phone away but she knows she must tell him what happened. She clicks on the phone and brings it to her ears.
“You didn’t call me! What happened?” Uther barks on the phone.
“It’s done… like you wanted!”
“You were supposed to inform me the moment you were done with him… not me calling you to find out!”
Gwen feels her heart ache. Her brain snaps in anger and she closes her eyes, to calm herself. “It’s done. He is on the way to meet you,”
“Meet me… now, what have you done?”
“I didn’t do anything. I told him you paid me to act and he probably wants clarification from you. I told him to ask you.”
“What! Are you stupid, Gwen? I told you to leave me out of this and now look what you’ve done! Arthur’s going to think I’m part of this and will hate me again. I told you to make this look as if you are doing this…”
“What the hell was I supposed to do?” Gwen shouts on the phone, silencing Uther on the other side. “Do you think Arthur’s stupid? Do you think your son will fall for any cock and bull story that comes out from my mouth? No, he will not. Arthur’s smarter than that. He will find out no matter how long it takes and I have to make it look as if it was all planned up and I had to use your name to cement the lies!! If you don’t want to be part of it then you shouldn’t have been involved in the first place!!” she adds, snapping angrily on the phone.
“How dare you…”
“Look, Uther. The moment you told me to leave your son and offered me money to do so, you lost any respect I might have had for you. Big time… understand? Now you and I are bound by nothing… I can snap, shout and even bark at you like I please. So don’t tell me that I should watch my mouth because I won’t. And listen here, old man… you have a wonderful son. Take care of him… because if I hear that Arthur’s suffering because of you, I will come for you. Get it?”
Uther laughs on the other side of the line, irking Gwen. “So… you still care for him?”
“I love Arthur and I will always love him. You can buy him from me, Uther, but you can never buy my love away. Till I die… till the last breath leaves my soul, I will love him. As he will of me.”
“After what you’ve done to him, I doubt that!”
“Don’t speak or assume things you don’t know or understand, Uther. Love is not just a feeling we feel for one another. It’s our heart beat. It will be with us till we die, no matter what happens along the way. It will always be with us, reminding us. Arthur and I might have gone our separate ways but he will always love me, I know that. He can marry anyone he likes or is told to, but I will always be his first true love and I can be proud of that. This is one thing you can never buy, Uther Pendragon. No wealth in your empire can afford this… you think you’ve won. No, I won. I have been the winner all the while.”
“I can crush you, Gwen… remember that!”
“Isn’t that what you do best, Uther? Look… I haven’t got the time to talk to you, nor am I in the mood to deal with your arrogance. I have done what you wanted me to, so… be a man and act like a father. I have given your son back to you, take care of him. At least for once, be the man your wife wanted you to be!! Goodbye, Uther. This will be our last conversation, so… go to hell!!” with that Gwen shuts the phone and throws it outside. She leans against the wall and heaves a huge sad sigh. Merlin had been right all the time. He has warned her not to trust Uther and she had completely ignored his advice. She fell for the trap, and in the end; she’s paying the heavier price. If only she had listened to Merlin. Gwen closes her eyes and recalls the unfortunate day she spent in Uther’s office.
Flashback to couple of weeks earlier …
Gwen is waiting for Uther in his office. She is delighted that the transfer is finally sanctioned after being halted due to some invalid information. Thankfully Reagan had asked Uther to interfere and now her biggest worry is solved. She thought of calling him to thank him but the help he has just offered requires better than a phone call and she decides to pay him a visit. As she looks around, the door opens and Uther walks in. Gwen stands up immediately.
“No, no… Gwen. Sit down please,” Uther says and circles the table, pulls out the chair and sits down.
Gwen sits down and smiles. “I came by to say thank you for your help a while ago. They said you helped to sanction the transfer. Without your interference, they would have rejected the transfer. So… thank you.”
“Come on Gwen … we are family, are we not?” Uther smiles. “Do you want anything to drink?”
“No, I should be getting back. I left work in a hurry and Gaius must be worried about me,” Gwen says and gets up.
“No I think you should be more worried about what I have to say now than your work, sweetheart. Sit down.” Uther says, flatly, tapping his fingers against his table lightly.
Gwen feels the air around them changes slightly and sits down, looking at Uther sharply.
Uther smiles and leans back against his chair. “So, how much do you need to let my son go?”
“What?” Gwen didn’t understand the question or why did Uther’s voice change suddenly.
“I think I was very precise with my question, Gwen. I can write you a cheque now … a blank cheque. You just have to fill in the numbers.”
“Are you trying to buy me?”
“I need my son back in my life but without you. We are Pendragons and we don’t tolerate people of your class in our home. I want you to leave my son and head back to the shack you came from. How much do you need for that?”
Gwen laughs. “I think you are really sick and desperate. You will go to any length to get Arthur back to you, wouldn’t you?”
“Any length, whatever necessary.”
“And I feel sad for you because the answer is no. Thank you for the offer, but the answer is a big no, with a capital N and O! You can never buy my love for him away… have a nice day Mr. Uther,” Gwen gets up and prepares to leave but Uther’s laugh stops her short.
“I thought you might say this and which is why I came prepared with plan B. I tried to be nice, Gwen, but you wouldn’t have it, so I have to shift back being nasty once again. You really think your friend has the money already?”
“What do you mean?”
“Call Morgana and ask if she has received the money? Go on… call her,”
Gwen pulls out her phone and dials Morgana’s number. She brings the phone to her ears and waits, her heart beating fast. Her eyes fixed upon him. ‘If he’s lying …’
“Hello?”
“Hello, Morgana?”
“Gwen… God, thank goodness you called.” Morgana sounds nervous. And it isn’t good news for Gwen.
“Morgana, did you check your account? Has the money been transferred?”
“No, I checked it twice after you called saying the money has been transferred but it’s not there. So I thought I might as well wait since some accounts take hours, but it’s been three hours already and the account is still empty, Gwen! I am scared… I really need the money, Gwen, please!”
“Are you sure Morgana, have you tried again?”
“Don’t waste your friend’s time, Gwen,” Uther says and Gwen tosses him a look of disgust.
“Morgana, I’ll call you back.” She ends the conversation. “All right, is this all your doing?” she points at him, feeling disgust.
“Don’t get angry, Gwen, I told you I tried nicely but you cooperate, so sometimes one has to play dirty to get things rolling. And I specialize in that. Now, your friend didn’t receive the money, did she?”
“No!”
“And I can help there… but one condition. You must exchange Arthur for the money. Deal?”
‘What the …’ Gwen thinks. “Forget it!”
“Fine, we’ll sacrifice your friend’s life for Arthur then. Good bye!” Uther picks up his phone.
“Wait… what are you doing? Who are you calling?”
“That’s none of your business, Gwen. You can marry Arthur, you made your decisions clear on that, so… let me just say that the money no longer needs to be transferred.”
“Don’t!! I need the money!”
“Then hand Arthur back to me!”
“I can’t… I love him!”
“Love or life, Gwen, the ball’s in your court. You save a life through Arthur, think about it that way.”
Gwen feels like her heart is being ripped out. What the hell in going on with Uther? He had been so nice to her weeks ago and now he’s behaving like a total arse. “Why are you doing this to me? I love your son and I can adjust in your family,” Gwen pleads.
“It’s not the subject of you adjusting well in mine, Gwen, it’s about dignity, status and class. I can’t have a lower class daughter-in-law, Gwen… imagine all the questions I would need to answer, the humiliation I would have to face… the status of the Pendragons would be tarnished by your presence. I can’t have that. You can never fit in Gwen, never. Trust me; it will hurt you and me and above all Arthur. So to save you from all that pain, I’m asking you nicely to let Arthur go from your life. There are plenty of men out there who’ll fit in your life well… just let Arthur go. That’s all I need.”
‘Let Arthur go!’ the words replays in her mind like a record player. She can’t imagine a life without Arthur and now his father is demanding one in exchange for her friend’s life. How will she do it? How will she deal with it? “This isn’t fair… using my friend to blackmail me isn’t fair, Mr. Uther!”
“Life isn’t always fair, dear. Now, I haven’t much time… so, what do you say? Arthur or the life of your friend? If you choose Arthur, you’ll be tormented by the guilt of ending a life. You wouldn’t want that, would you?” Uther asks, looking straight at Gwen.
Gwen doesn’t know how to answer him. She knows Morgana needs the money urgently but to lose Arthur in order to help her friend is killing her silently. Gwen knows she can never live without Arthur but if she chooses him, Morgeuse will be dead and Morgana will be devastated. And it would be her fault. Morgana trusted her… how can Gwen disappoint her now? And what would she tell Morgana? Gwen shakes her head.
“So, it’s Arthur then I suppose?” misinterpreting Gwen’s head shake as a sign.
“Don’t torture me, please!” Gwen shouts, covering her head with her hands. Tears roll down her cheek. The prospect of losing Arthur is looming large and she knows she doesn’t have all day to make her choice. It’s a case of a life against her love. Sacrificing Arthur in order to save a life would mean she’d be free of that guilt, but at the end, she’ll lose Arthur. She’ll be alone, hurt and miserable. She’ll be burdened instead by the guilt of losing Arthur and lying to him. She doesn’t know how to decide. This is madness. This is torment. She pounds her fist against her head, silencing the throb that starts to penetrate through her skull.
“Arthur then!” Uther picks up the phone but Gwen rushes over and stops him, holding the phone tightly. Her eyes are bloodshot and she looks at Uther in fear.
“No, please… I’ll… I’ll give up…” the name takes a long time to appear. “Arthur!” she finally says.
Uther smiles and puts down the phone. He fishes out his hand phone and calls a number. Bringing the phone to his ears, he smiles at Gwen. But Gwen looks at him in disgust. “Reagan? It’s all done. You can carry on with the transfer,” he instructs. Gwen’s eyes widen hearing the name.
‘Reagan?’ she thinks. ‘Is he part of the plan?’ she thinks again. Her heart hurts and she closes her eyes to shut out the pain. This is all a dream and she will soon wake up from it. Someone snaps their finger in front of her. She opens her eyes and notices Uther looking at her, smiling.
“It’s all done, Gwen. Your friend should have the money by now. If you don’t believe me, you can call her up and find out.”
Gwen’s fingers tremble as she searches for Morgana’s number and clicks it. The line is immediately picked up by her friend. “Morgana?”
“Gwen?”
“The money is transferred, Morgana… you should be able to use it.”
“Are you all right, Gwen? You sound sick.”
“I’m fine…” Gwen lies, wiping away her tears. “Just check if you’ve received your money.”
“Really? Wait, let me check it…”
“Call me when you have,” Gwen says and ends the call. She feels sick and bitter in her heart. She no longer feels like living; after all what would her life means if Arthur is not part of it. Her head throbs and her knees wobble like jelly, threatening to collapse. She clutches to the edge of the table to keep herself from falling.
“Shall I ask someone to drive you home?”
“I’m fine! I don’t want anything from you!” she snaps at him and feels more tears flooding her eyes. She wishes to go home but her feet won’t budge. It looks like she’s glued to the floor for good.
“Come on, Gwen. There’s no need to get angry with me… this is for your own good,”
“There’s no good for me or Arthur in this… only you.”
“Now, that’s not true. Arthur will get a better life, lead a more respectable life with someone of his own status and your friend will have her sister back. And what more can you ask?”
“What about me? I have to endure this agony for the rest of my life!”
“Now… do you think I’ll let go off you without a reward?”
Gwen turns around, clearly confused.
Uther smiles and points at the table, where a suitcase filled with money lay open, revealing all the bills inside. “This is for you Gwen. A reward for your sacrifice. Take this and lead a better life.”
“I told you already that you can never buy me!”
“No, I guessed I couldn’t, but… this is just a reward. After all, you sacrificed your love and that requires remarkable compensation,” Uther says.
“You’ve already done that for Morgana…”
“That’s for Arthur… this is for you. I just want to make sure you benefit from this as well… I hate to think of you being left out,” Uther explains. “And I also want to make sure you don’t hold on to your sacrifice to get back to me… you know, when you get desperate. Knowing you… I might as well be prepared,”
Gwen laughs bitterly. “You don’t have to worry, Uther Pendragon. When I promise, I hold on to my promise. When I say I will let Arthur go, I will do just that. But I don’t need your pathetic money for me… like I said, you can never buy me or my love, and I don’t need you having something to lord over me. Goodbye!” Gwen barks and strides towards the door.
“Are you sure about this?” Uther calls from behind. “This money can keep you happy forever, Gwen. You wouldn’t have to work at all.” He snickers.
“You can take your money and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine,” Gwen snaps coldly, then picks up a vase from the table beside the door and heaves it at Uther. He dodges it, the sneer still on his face.
“Whatever you say.”
And with that Gwen left the office, tears still flowing down her cheek. As she passes through the huge sliding door, her phone rings. It was Morgana.
“Gwen… thank you so much, the money is the in the bank. I can get it to Morgause… thank you so much. I love you.”
“Glad to have helped, Morgana. See you later.” And Gwen slumps down by the side of the lamp post, clutching her stomach, crying her heart out.
Arthur pounds the back of the seat with his fist, angrily as the car swerves in to the huge yard that leads to the exclusive manor of the Pendragons. Gwaine clenches his cheek, listening to his friend’s cries while Merlin sits slumped in sadness. Behind him, Arthur is still kicking and pounding the seat with his feet and hands, lashing out his anger. His heart is shattered, hurt and extremely broken beyond words. He feels empty inside. He no longer feels for him or anyone. All he does feel is the sense of emptiness, lingering in him.
“Damn you Guinevere!” Arthur slams the seat beside and buries his head on the seat.
“Arthur… calm yourself,” Gwaine advices as he quickly glances back.
“How can I, Gwaine… how can I? She killed me with her words… and yet, I still love her!”
“Get over it, Arthur… you heard her! She never loved you!”
“We don’t know that for sure, Gwaine,” Merlin says from beside him.
“Didn’t you hear everything, Merlin? Didn’t you hear the words she laid on Arthur?”
“I heard her, Gwaine, but I know she loves him,” Merlin replies sadly but still not looking at Gwaine. “I am worried about her. Something is suspicious.”
“Yeah… well, you should be worried about Arthur, because she just broke his heart!”
“Gwaine… come on!” Merlin turns to look at Gwaine. “Give her a break, too. We don’t know what her side of the story really is… and there’s no point in jumping to conclusions.”
“Merlin! Look… if you want to go ahead and believe she is hiding something, by all means do it, but I will not because Arthur’s my friend and I will not betray him like she did… and you shouldn’t either!”
“I’m not betraying Arthur.”
“Then don’t!” Gwaine snaps at Merlin angrily forcing Merlin to coil back into his sadness. Gwaine concentrates on the road and in minutes brings the car to a halt in front of the huge doorway. Gwaine pulls his handbrake and glances at Merlin before turning around to meet Arthur. “We are here Arthur,” he says.
Without a word, Arthur pushes the door open with a bang and steps out. He doesn’t even bother to close the door and climbs up the steps and enters. Gwaine sighs and steps out but Merlin doesn’t do the same.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“No… you go ahead,” Merlin answers and Gwaine doesn’t press. Today’s events are far too bizarre to be described and if Merlin wants to have his moment alone, so be it. Gwaine closes the door behind him and enters the manor.
“Father?” Arthur calls loudly, entering the main hall. “Father!! Dad!!!” he calls again. But no one seems to be around, not even Geoffrey. Arthur searches for his father in all the rooms he knows his father might be in, including Uther’s study, but the old man isn’t there either. Arthur is angry. He kicks the chair in the study as hard as possible and walks out to the window. As he nears it, he spots his father, standing by the fountain. Arthur pounds the window pane and rushes out. As he hurries out he passes Geoffrey but he doesn’t stop by to greet the old butler.
Uther is looking at a dying plant when he hears footsteps behind him. He knows to whom they belong, but he keeps looking at the plant.
“Father?” Arthur calls the moment he comes to stand behind his father.
Uther turns around slowly, his face pale and weary. He might be entering his late fifties but never looked that part until now, with all the guilt and burden placed on his shoulders, Uther suddenly looks his age. “Arthur?”
“You didn’t come to see me in the hospital.”
“I know… I’m sorry,”
“Are you also sorry for what you have done to me?”
“Arthur…” Uther steps closer with his arms extended but Arthur steps back, his eyes red in anger. He shakes his head.
“I am sorry… I didn’t mean for it to happen like this…” Uther says sadly.
“So, you know. That was fast!” Arthur teases bitterly.
“I knew what would happen, but not what happened,” Uther replies.
“Is that why you’ve been a mere shadow in the hospital? Is that why you didn’t come to see me today?”
“Look, Arthur… I didn’t know it would turn out this badly for you.”
“But it did, Father. It did… and what are you going to do now? Buy more people to settle the trouble you’ve caused or are you going break more hearts like you did mine?”
“Stop it, Arthur… I didn’t want it to end like this but I had no choice. She was threatening to put you behind bars, and…”
“You should have let her, Dad!! I killed a man, an innocent man, and I deserve to be tried! That would have been fair, man for man, life for a life!”
“But you are my son, Arthur!! And I will not let my son be put behind bars while I am still alive! I will do all I can to see you are free and I did just that. Unfortunately she used you for her own interests and I hardly see how that’s my fault. I am just as stunned by what she caused as you are, Arthur. I was willing to accept her into our family!”
“I really want to believe what you tell me, Father, but…” Arthur pounds his chest. “Why am I feeling different about this? Why am I finding it hard to believe all this…”
“This is the truth, Arthur. And I know it will be hard for you to believe me, after all I haven’t been very convincing to you, either. But the ball’s in your court, Arthur. It’s up to you to believe me or not. I am not denying I played a part in your misery but I meant well. I wanted to make sure you were safe and chose the only way I know how, through money. I didn’t know what type of a person she had been before, but I was willing to take her in if indeed she had been in love with you. Unfortunately, she wasn’t…”
“How will she live, Father? You gave her money for that, too… didn’t you?”
“Arthur, that’s rubbish!”
“You challenged her to make me agree to the operation, didn’t you? And she played her cards well… so did you? Both of you… makes me sick!”
“Arthur, I did that but I didn’t ask her to play with your feelings and neither did I know you’ll fall in love with her. That surprised me at first, but I thought she probably changed herself and decided to persuade you willingly. But then she came by my office last week to ensure I gave the money as promised. I know none of this will make any sense to you, but I don’t care Arthur. My conscience is clean and I owe no one any explanations. If you still want answers, why don’t you do the investigation yourself? Find out if she came by the office and met me? Ask the managing director if she asked for the money to be transferred or if such a sum was actually transferred? And ask Gaius if she did leave her work to meet me last week? I am not making this whole situation up Arthur, I don’t have to. But this is the truth and it’s up to you to believe it.”
“I… I don’t even know what to believe anymore, Father… or who should I believe. Those I love, those I trust, always ends up hurting my heart… so why should I even care what you say?” Arthur leans against the pillar and sighs, sadly.
Uther walks towards his son and reaches out to grab his shoulders. “I am not proud of what I did, Arthur, and I know you, too… it’s never easy shouldering the guilt of taking a life and it will haunt you for life. And the same goes for me but, I did what I must because you are my son. You will not understand this, Arthur, but… one day when you have a son of your own, you will. Until then, if it makes it any better, let me shoulder the guilt.” Uther walks past his son. Arthur remains quiet.
“What are you doing, Arthur?” Gwaine stops Uther and looks directly at Arthur. The latter turns around.
“It’s all right Gwaine…” Uther starts. But Gwaine silences the elder Pendragon with a nod.
“Are you still pining away after her? Haven’t you learned anything from what happened a while ago?” Gwaine reminds. “She left you Arthur!! And she did it coldly!”
“Gwaine…”
“I’m sorry, but I have to say this, and it will hurt you as well, Uther. I don’t trust you and never did but I trust Gwen when she said you offered her money, because that what’s you are good at. But what I didn’t expect from her is the way she treated Arthur. That was completely shocking and it left bitter taste to my mouth. I trusted and respected her, but now… that respect has turned into ashes. I heard all the things she said and each word was like a knife, piercing into our hearts. I felt the pain and I meant nothing to her, but… imagine how Arthur would have felt. And then I know where have I mistakenly placed my trust,” Gwaine explains. “But that doesn’t mean I trust you…” he adds quickly, looking Uther. “There’s still some way to go before we achieve that… but I am with you on this." Gwaine says and walks towards Arthur. “What your Father did was selfish, but no one knew Gwen would turn her back on you. We underestimated her, Arthur. Your love for her blinded your judgment and I understand it pains everyone, especially you, but… you have to let her go.”
“I can’t, Gwaine… I see her everywhere!”
“It takes time, Arthur… no one said it will be easy. But you have to let her go…”
“Why, Gwaine!” Arthur snaps, pushing Gwaine’s hand from his shoulder.
“Because she is the past, Arthur!! This…” Gwaine points at Uther. “This man here is your future now!” Gwaine says, equally angry at Arthur for still behaving like a helpless child. “This man did all this because he loves you and I know there’s no ethics in his actions but what about Gwen’s? She loved only your money. But this man used his money to save you because you are his son. A father will go any length to save their son and yours did the same. It hurts, yes, but you are saved, Arthur. Think about that… Gwen’s history now, she no longer exists in your life. You have a bright new future ahead of you so it’s time you paid attention to that!”
“Gwaine… let him be, son. He will never believe me no matter who advises him. And I am used to this by now. I am just relieved he has his eyesight back… and thank you for speaking on my behalf,” Uther says softly, looking sadly at Arthur who still keeps quiet.
“What are you doing, Arthur?” Gwaine hisses, shaking Arthur’s arm.
For Arthur everything seems blurring. He can’t think clearly. He understands what Gwaine is telling him but he cannot look beyond what he understands. He wants to believe his father and though one half of his heart is with his father, the other half is still lacking trust. And now Gwaine is confusing him further by taking sides with his old man. ‘Where’s Merlin?’ Arthur thinks. He values his friend’s advice and now he needs it more than ever. But there’s no sight of his friend. Gwaine is probably reacting because he is hurt by Gwen’s actions today, but Merlin had been on Gwen’s side all the way. ‘Does he knows something I don’t know?’ Arthur thinks. His heart is heavy. He wants to believe his father yet something is nagging in the back of his head, like a warning bell. What could that be? And now, Gwaine wants him to reconcile with his father. ‘Who should I trust?’ Arthur thinks. ‘Gwen… my father?’ Arthur thinks and closes his eyes. His head throbs. The events of today have been stressing and it’s no good for his eyes.
“Arthur?” Uther’s hand on his shoulder alerts him. Arthur stiffens.
“I am sorry, Son,” Uther says, tears welling in his eyes.
And Arthur’s heart softens. His own tears, the ones he’d been keeping in check all this while rolls down his cheek. He pulls his father close and hugs him. “I’m sorry, Father… I am sorry.”
“No, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I have everything to be sorry for, Father. I still feel this whole situation is bizarre but I promise you this…” Arthur pulls himself away from his father. “I will try to be the son you want. I give you my word.”
“Thank you Arthur… thank you,” Uther says and hugs his son back.
Inside the train, Gwen stands by the door looking dejected. Her heart is aching and she doesn’t even know how to contain the pain. It creeps, leaving her dizzy. ‘Did I say all those things? Did I really say that?’ she thinks, trying to recall what has happened. Everything seems like a dream, but the pain she feels in her heart is real. She drops her bag, clutches her heart and slumps to the ground. Tears are rolling down, wetting her neck and her shirt but she doesn’t care about it anymore. Her breathing is coming in rapidly as she tries to restrain her tears but the pain in her heart increases as she remembers each and every word she told Arthur. ‘I broke his heart… I broke him,’ she thinks as she slams her head against the wall of the coach. ‘I’m sorry, Arthur… I’m so sorry,’ she thinks again and slams her head again and again until she felt slightly dizzy.
But the tears keep flowing down her cheek. Her lips tremble as she buries her face in her hands and cries her heart out. She knows Arthur will never forgive her, but she didn’t have a choice. She wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t forced, she would never hurt him even in her dreams, but now, not only has she broken his heart but she has shattered his strength as well. She fears for him. Will he be all right? Will he revert back to his old prattish self or will the rejection make him stronger? Gwen doesn’t know and she will never be able to find out from anyone… perhaps maybe from Merlin. One day.
Gwen looks up, her eyes swollen and painful. Merlin is the only one who’ll believe her. He is the only one suspicious of her behavior and he could be her only hope to find out about Arthur. But how will she do it? How can she ask Merlin without anyone else finding out? More tears flow from her already swollen eyes and Gwen’s heart aches like it is being ripped into shreds. She wishes none of this happened.
Why did she have to say all this to Arthur? Why did she have to face his wrath when their happiness was just a week away? Why is life so unfair to her? What did she do to deserve such a punishment? Where did she fail? Question after question floods her brain until she feels sick to her stomach. Something rings; her phone. Gwen sniffs and picks up her phone, her eyes reddening further when she spots Uther’s name on it. She wants to throw the phone away but she knows she must tell him what happened. She clicks on the phone and brings it to her ears.
“You didn’t call me! What happened?” Uther barks on the phone.
“It’s done… like you wanted!”
“You were supposed to inform me the moment you were done with him… not me calling you to find out!”
Gwen feels her heart ache. Her brain snaps in anger and she closes her eyes, to calm herself. “It’s done. He is on the way to meet you,”
“Meet me… now, what have you done?”
“I didn’t do anything. I told him you paid me to act and he probably wants clarification from you. I told him to ask you.”
“What! Are you stupid, Gwen? I told you to leave me out of this and now look what you’ve done! Arthur’s going to think I’m part of this and will hate me again. I told you to make this look as if you are doing this…”
“What the hell was I supposed to do?” Gwen shouts on the phone, silencing Uther on the other side. “Do you think Arthur’s stupid? Do you think your son will fall for any cock and bull story that comes out from my mouth? No, he will not. Arthur’s smarter than that. He will find out no matter how long it takes and I have to make it look as if it was all planned up and I had to use your name to cement the lies!! If you don’t want to be part of it then you shouldn’t have been involved in the first place!!” she adds, snapping angrily on the phone.
“How dare you…”
“Look, Uther. The moment you told me to leave your son and offered me money to do so, you lost any respect I might have had for you. Big time… understand? Now you and I are bound by nothing… I can snap, shout and even bark at you like I please. So don’t tell me that I should watch my mouth because I won’t. And listen here, old man… you have a wonderful son. Take care of him… because if I hear that Arthur’s suffering because of you, I will come for you. Get it?”
Uther laughs on the other side of the line, irking Gwen. “So… you still care for him?”
“I love Arthur and I will always love him. You can buy him from me, Uther, but you can never buy my love away. Till I die… till the last breath leaves my soul, I will love him. As he will of me.”
“After what you’ve done to him, I doubt that!”
“Don’t speak or assume things you don’t know or understand, Uther. Love is not just a feeling we feel for one another. It’s our heart beat. It will be with us till we die, no matter what happens along the way. It will always be with us, reminding us. Arthur and I might have gone our separate ways but he will always love me, I know that. He can marry anyone he likes or is told to, but I will always be his first true love and I can be proud of that. This is one thing you can never buy, Uther Pendragon. No wealth in your empire can afford this… you think you’ve won. No, I won. I have been the winner all the while.”
“I can crush you, Gwen… remember that!”
“Isn’t that what you do best, Uther? Look… I haven’t got the time to talk to you, nor am I in the mood to deal with your arrogance. I have done what you wanted me to, so… be a man and act like a father. I have given your son back to you, take care of him. At least for once, be the man your wife wanted you to be!! Goodbye, Uther. This will be our last conversation, so… go to hell!!” with that Gwen shuts the phone and throws it outside. She leans against the wall and heaves a huge sad sigh. Merlin had been right all the time. He has warned her not to trust Uther and she had completely ignored his advice. She fell for the trap, and in the end; she’s paying the heavier price. If only she had listened to Merlin. Gwen closes her eyes and recalls the unfortunate day she spent in Uther’s office.
Flashback to couple of weeks earlier …
Gwen is waiting for Uther in his office. She is delighted that the transfer is finally sanctioned after being halted due to some invalid information. Thankfully Reagan had asked Uther to interfere and now her biggest worry is solved. She thought of calling him to thank him but the help he has just offered requires better than a phone call and she decides to pay him a visit. As she looks around, the door opens and Uther walks in. Gwen stands up immediately.
“No, no… Gwen. Sit down please,” Uther says and circles the table, pulls out the chair and sits down.
Gwen sits down and smiles. “I came by to say thank you for your help a while ago. They said you helped to sanction the transfer. Without your interference, they would have rejected the transfer. So… thank you.”
“Come on Gwen … we are family, are we not?” Uther smiles. “Do you want anything to drink?”
“No, I should be getting back. I left work in a hurry and Gaius must be worried about me,” Gwen says and gets up.
“No I think you should be more worried about what I have to say now than your work, sweetheart. Sit down.” Uther says, flatly, tapping his fingers against his table lightly.
Gwen feels the air around them changes slightly and sits down, looking at Uther sharply.
Uther smiles and leans back against his chair. “So, how much do you need to let my son go?”
“What?” Gwen didn’t understand the question or why did Uther’s voice change suddenly.
“I think I was very precise with my question, Gwen. I can write you a cheque now … a blank cheque. You just have to fill in the numbers.”
“Are you trying to buy me?”
“I need my son back in my life but without you. We are Pendragons and we don’t tolerate people of your class in our home. I want you to leave my son and head back to the shack you came from. How much do you need for that?”
Gwen laughs. “I think you are really sick and desperate. You will go to any length to get Arthur back to you, wouldn’t you?”
“Any length, whatever necessary.”
“And I feel sad for you because the answer is no. Thank you for the offer, but the answer is a big no, with a capital N and O! You can never buy my love for him away… have a nice day Mr. Uther,” Gwen gets up and prepares to leave but Uther’s laugh stops her short.
“I thought you might say this and which is why I came prepared with plan B. I tried to be nice, Gwen, but you wouldn’t have it, so I have to shift back being nasty once again. You really think your friend has the money already?”
“What do you mean?”
“Call Morgana and ask if she has received the money? Go on… call her,”
Gwen pulls out her phone and dials Morgana’s number. She brings the phone to her ears and waits, her heart beating fast. Her eyes fixed upon him. ‘If he’s lying …’
“Hello?”
“Hello, Morgana?”
“Gwen… God, thank goodness you called.” Morgana sounds nervous. And it isn’t good news for Gwen.
“Morgana, did you check your account? Has the money been transferred?”
“No, I checked it twice after you called saying the money has been transferred but it’s not there. So I thought I might as well wait since some accounts take hours, but it’s been three hours already and the account is still empty, Gwen! I am scared… I really need the money, Gwen, please!”
“Are you sure Morgana, have you tried again?”
“Don’t waste your friend’s time, Gwen,” Uther says and Gwen tosses him a look of disgust.
“Morgana, I’ll call you back.” She ends the conversation. “All right, is this all your doing?” she points at him, feeling disgust.
“Don’t get angry, Gwen, I told you I tried nicely but you cooperate, so sometimes one has to play dirty to get things rolling. And I specialize in that. Now, your friend didn’t receive the money, did she?”
“No!”
“And I can help there… but one condition. You must exchange Arthur for the money. Deal?”
‘What the …’ Gwen thinks. “Forget it!”
“Fine, we’ll sacrifice your friend’s life for Arthur then. Good bye!” Uther picks up his phone.
“Wait… what are you doing? Who are you calling?”
“That’s none of your business, Gwen. You can marry Arthur, you made your decisions clear on that, so… let me just say that the money no longer needs to be transferred.”
“Don’t!! I need the money!”
“Then hand Arthur back to me!”
“I can’t… I love him!”
“Love or life, Gwen, the ball’s in your court. You save a life through Arthur, think about it that way.”
Gwen feels like her heart is being ripped out. What the hell in going on with Uther? He had been so nice to her weeks ago and now he’s behaving like a total arse. “Why are you doing this to me? I love your son and I can adjust in your family,” Gwen pleads.
“It’s not the subject of you adjusting well in mine, Gwen, it’s about dignity, status and class. I can’t have a lower class daughter-in-law, Gwen… imagine all the questions I would need to answer, the humiliation I would have to face… the status of the Pendragons would be tarnished by your presence. I can’t have that. You can never fit in Gwen, never. Trust me; it will hurt you and me and above all Arthur. So to save you from all that pain, I’m asking you nicely to let Arthur go from your life. There are plenty of men out there who’ll fit in your life well… just let Arthur go. That’s all I need.”
‘Let Arthur go!’ the words replays in her mind like a record player. She can’t imagine a life without Arthur and now his father is demanding one in exchange for her friend’s life. How will she do it? How will she deal with it? “This isn’t fair… using my friend to blackmail me isn’t fair, Mr. Uther!”
“Life isn’t always fair, dear. Now, I haven’t much time… so, what do you say? Arthur or the life of your friend? If you choose Arthur, you’ll be tormented by the guilt of ending a life. You wouldn’t want that, would you?” Uther asks, looking straight at Gwen.
Gwen doesn’t know how to answer him. She knows Morgana needs the money urgently but to lose Arthur in order to help her friend is killing her silently. Gwen knows she can never live without Arthur but if she chooses him, Morgeuse will be dead and Morgana will be devastated. And it would be her fault. Morgana trusted her… how can Gwen disappoint her now? And what would she tell Morgana? Gwen shakes her head.
“So, it’s Arthur then I suppose?” misinterpreting Gwen’s head shake as a sign.
“Don’t torture me, please!” Gwen shouts, covering her head with her hands. Tears roll down her cheek. The prospect of losing Arthur is looming large and she knows she doesn’t have all day to make her choice. It’s a case of a life against her love. Sacrificing Arthur in order to save a life would mean she’d be free of that guilt, but at the end, she’ll lose Arthur. She’ll be alone, hurt and miserable. She’ll be burdened instead by the guilt of losing Arthur and lying to him. She doesn’t know how to decide. This is madness. This is torment. She pounds her fist against her head, silencing the throb that starts to penetrate through her skull.
“Arthur then!” Uther picks up the phone but Gwen rushes over and stops him, holding the phone tightly. Her eyes are bloodshot and she looks at Uther in fear.
“No, please… I’ll… I’ll give up…” the name takes a long time to appear. “Arthur!” she finally says.
Uther smiles and puts down the phone. He fishes out his hand phone and calls a number. Bringing the phone to his ears, he smiles at Gwen. But Gwen looks at him in disgust. “Reagan? It’s all done. You can carry on with the transfer,” he instructs. Gwen’s eyes widen hearing the name.
‘Reagan?’ she thinks. ‘Is he part of the plan?’ she thinks again. Her heart hurts and she closes her eyes to shut out the pain. This is all a dream and she will soon wake up from it. Someone snaps their finger in front of her. She opens her eyes and notices Uther looking at her, smiling.
“It’s all done, Gwen. Your friend should have the money by now. If you don’t believe me, you can call her up and find out.”
Gwen’s fingers tremble as she searches for Morgana’s number and clicks it. The line is immediately picked up by her friend. “Morgana?”
“Gwen?”
“The money is transferred, Morgana… you should be able to use it.”
“Are you all right, Gwen? You sound sick.”
“I’m fine…” Gwen lies, wiping away her tears. “Just check if you’ve received your money.”
“Really? Wait, let me check it…”
“Call me when you have,” Gwen says and ends the call. She feels sick and bitter in her heart. She no longer feels like living; after all what would her life means if Arthur is not part of it. Her head throbs and her knees wobble like jelly, threatening to collapse. She clutches to the edge of the table to keep herself from falling.
“Shall I ask someone to drive you home?”
“I’m fine! I don’t want anything from you!” she snaps at him and feels more tears flooding her eyes. She wishes to go home but her feet won’t budge. It looks like she’s glued to the floor for good.
“Come on, Gwen. There’s no need to get angry with me… this is for your own good,”
“There’s no good for me or Arthur in this… only you.”
“Now, that’s not true. Arthur will get a better life, lead a more respectable life with someone of his own status and your friend will have her sister back. And what more can you ask?”
“What about me? I have to endure this agony for the rest of my life!”
“Now… do you think I’ll let go off you without a reward?”
Gwen turns around, clearly confused.
Uther smiles and points at the table, where a suitcase filled with money lay open, revealing all the bills inside. “This is for you Gwen. A reward for your sacrifice. Take this and lead a better life.”
“I told you already that you can never buy me!”
“No, I guessed I couldn’t, but… this is just a reward. After all, you sacrificed your love and that requires remarkable compensation,” Uther says.
“You’ve already done that for Morgana…”
“That’s for Arthur… this is for you. I just want to make sure you benefit from this as well… I hate to think of you being left out,” Uther explains. “And I also want to make sure you don’t hold on to your sacrifice to get back to me… you know, when you get desperate. Knowing you… I might as well be prepared,”
Gwen laughs bitterly. “You don’t have to worry, Uther Pendragon. When I promise, I hold on to my promise. When I say I will let Arthur go, I will do just that. But I don’t need your pathetic money for me… like I said, you can never buy me or my love, and I don’t need you having something to lord over me. Goodbye!” Gwen barks and strides towards the door.
“Are you sure about this?” Uther calls from behind. “This money can keep you happy forever, Gwen. You wouldn’t have to work at all.” He snickers.
“You can take your money and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine,” Gwen snaps coldly, then picks up a vase from the table beside the door and heaves it at Uther. He dodges it, the sneer still on his face.
“Whatever you say.”
And with that Gwen left the office, tears still flowing down her cheek. As she passes through the huge sliding door, her phone rings. It was Morgana.
“Gwen… thank you so much, the money is the in the bank. I can get it to Morgause… thank you so much. I love you.”
“Glad to have helped, Morgana. See you later.” And Gwen slumps down by the side of the lamp post, clutching her stomach, crying her heart out.
Arthur pounds the back of the seat with his fist, angrily as the car swerves in to the huge yard that leads to the exclusive manor of the Pendragons. Gwaine clenches his cheek, listening to his friend’s cries while Merlin sits slumped in sadness. Behind him, Arthur is still kicking and pounding the seat with his feet and hands, lashing out his anger. His heart is shattered, hurt and extremely broken beyond words. He feels empty inside. He no longer feels for him or anyone. All he does feel is the sense of emptiness, lingering in him.
“Damn you Guinevere!” Arthur slams the seat beside and buries his head on the seat.
“Arthur… calm yourself,” Gwaine advices as he quickly glances back.
“How can I, Gwaine… how can I? She killed me with her words… and yet, I still love her!”
“Get over it, Arthur… you heard her! She never loved you!”
“We don’t know that for sure, Gwaine,” Merlin says from beside him.
“Didn’t you hear everything, Merlin? Didn’t you hear the words she laid on Arthur?”
“I heard her, Gwaine, but I know she loves him,” Merlin replies sadly but still not looking at Gwaine. “I am worried about her. Something is suspicious.”
“Yeah… well, you should be worried about Arthur, because she just broke his heart!”
“Gwaine… come on!” Merlin turns to look at Gwaine. “Give her a break, too. We don’t know what her side of the story really is… and there’s no point in jumping to conclusions.”
“Merlin! Look… if you want to go ahead and believe she is hiding something, by all means do it, but I will not because Arthur’s my friend and I will not betray him like she did… and you shouldn’t either!”
“I’m not betraying Arthur.”
“Then don’t!” Gwaine snaps at Merlin angrily forcing Merlin to coil back into his sadness. Gwaine concentrates on the road and in minutes brings the car to a halt in front of the huge doorway. Gwaine pulls his handbrake and glances at Merlin before turning around to meet Arthur. “We are here Arthur,” he says.
Without a word, Arthur pushes the door open with a bang and steps out. He doesn’t even bother to close the door and climbs up the steps and enters. Gwaine sighs and steps out but Merlin doesn’t do the same.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“No… you go ahead,” Merlin answers and Gwaine doesn’t press. Today’s events are far too bizarre to be described and if Merlin wants to have his moment alone, so be it. Gwaine closes the door behind him and enters the manor.
“Father?” Arthur calls loudly, entering the main hall. “Father!! Dad!!!” he calls again. But no one seems to be around, not even Geoffrey. Arthur searches for his father in all the rooms he knows his father might be in, including Uther’s study, but the old man isn’t there either. Arthur is angry. He kicks the chair in the study as hard as possible and walks out to the window. As he nears it, he spots his father, standing by the fountain. Arthur pounds the window pane and rushes out. As he hurries out he passes Geoffrey but he doesn’t stop by to greet the old butler.
Uther is looking at a dying plant when he hears footsteps behind him. He knows to whom they belong, but he keeps looking at the plant.
“Father?” Arthur calls the moment he comes to stand behind his father.
Uther turns around slowly, his face pale and weary. He might be entering his late fifties but never looked that part until now, with all the guilt and burden placed on his shoulders, Uther suddenly looks his age. “Arthur?”
“You didn’t come to see me in the hospital.”
“I know… I’m sorry,”
“Are you also sorry for what you have done to me?”
“Arthur…” Uther steps closer with his arms extended but Arthur steps back, his eyes red in anger. He shakes his head.
“I am sorry… I didn’t mean for it to happen like this…” Uther says sadly.
“So, you know. That was fast!” Arthur teases bitterly.
“I knew what would happen, but not what happened,” Uther replies.
“Is that why you’ve been a mere shadow in the hospital? Is that why you didn’t come to see me today?”
“Look, Arthur… I didn’t know it would turn out this badly for you.”
“But it did, Father. It did… and what are you going to do now? Buy more people to settle the trouble you’ve caused or are you going break more hearts like you did mine?”
“Stop it, Arthur… I didn’t want it to end like this but I had no choice. She was threatening to put you behind bars, and…”
“You should have let her, Dad!! I killed a man, an innocent man, and I deserve to be tried! That would have been fair, man for man, life for a life!”
“But you are my son, Arthur!! And I will not let my son be put behind bars while I am still alive! I will do all I can to see you are free and I did just that. Unfortunately she used you for her own interests and I hardly see how that’s my fault. I am just as stunned by what she caused as you are, Arthur. I was willing to accept her into our family!”
“I really want to believe what you tell me, Father, but…” Arthur pounds his chest. “Why am I feeling different about this? Why am I finding it hard to believe all this…”
“This is the truth, Arthur. And I know it will be hard for you to believe me, after all I haven’t been very convincing to you, either. But the ball’s in your court, Arthur. It’s up to you to believe me or not. I am not denying I played a part in your misery but I meant well. I wanted to make sure you were safe and chose the only way I know how, through money. I didn’t know what type of a person she had been before, but I was willing to take her in if indeed she had been in love with you. Unfortunately, she wasn’t…”
“How will she live, Father? You gave her money for that, too… didn’t you?”
“Arthur, that’s rubbish!”
“You challenged her to make me agree to the operation, didn’t you? And she played her cards well… so did you? Both of you… makes me sick!”
“Arthur, I did that but I didn’t ask her to play with your feelings and neither did I know you’ll fall in love with her. That surprised me at first, but I thought she probably changed herself and decided to persuade you willingly. But then she came by my office last week to ensure I gave the money as promised. I know none of this will make any sense to you, but I don’t care Arthur. My conscience is clean and I owe no one any explanations. If you still want answers, why don’t you do the investigation yourself? Find out if she came by the office and met me? Ask the managing director if she asked for the money to be transferred or if such a sum was actually transferred? And ask Gaius if she did leave her work to meet me last week? I am not making this whole situation up Arthur, I don’t have to. But this is the truth and it’s up to you to believe it.”
“I… I don’t even know what to believe anymore, Father… or who should I believe. Those I love, those I trust, always ends up hurting my heart… so why should I even care what you say?” Arthur leans against the pillar and sighs, sadly.
Uther walks towards his son and reaches out to grab his shoulders. “I am not proud of what I did, Arthur, and I know you, too… it’s never easy shouldering the guilt of taking a life and it will haunt you for life. And the same goes for me but, I did what I must because you are my son. You will not understand this, Arthur, but… one day when you have a son of your own, you will. Until then, if it makes it any better, let me shoulder the guilt.” Uther walks past his son. Arthur remains quiet.
“What are you doing, Arthur?” Gwaine stops Uther and looks directly at Arthur. The latter turns around.
“It’s all right Gwaine…” Uther starts. But Gwaine silences the elder Pendragon with a nod.
“Are you still pining away after her? Haven’t you learned anything from what happened a while ago?” Gwaine reminds. “She left you Arthur!! And she did it coldly!”
“Gwaine…”
“I’m sorry, but I have to say this, and it will hurt you as well, Uther. I don’t trust you and never did but I trust Gwen when she said you offered her money, because that what’s you are good at. But what I didn’t expect from her is the way she treated Arthur. That was completely shocking and it left bitter taste to my mouth. I trusted and respected her, but now… that respect has turned into ashes. I heard all the things she said and each word was like a knife, piercing into our hearts. I felt the pain and I meant nothing to her, but… imagine how Arthur would have felt. And then I know where have I mistakenly placed my trust,” Gwaine explains. “But that doesn’t mean I trust you…” he adds quickly, looking Uther. “There’s still some way to go before we achieve that… but I am with you on this." Gwaine says and walks towards Arthur. “What your Father did was selfish, but no one knew Gwen would turn her back on you. We underestimated her, Arthur. Your love for her blinded your judgment and I understand it pains everyone, especially you, but… you have to let her go.”
“I can’t, Gwaine… I see her everywhere!”
“It takes time, Arthur… no one said it will be easy. But you have to let her go…”
“Why, Gwaine!” Arthur snaps, pushing Gwaine’s hand from his shoulder.
“Because she is the past, Arthur!! This…” Gwaine points at Uther. “This man here is your future now!” Gwaine says, equally angry at Arthur for still behaving like a helpless child. “This man did all this because he loves you and I know there’s no ethics in his actions but what about Gwen’s? She loved only your money. But this man used his money to save you because you are his son. A father will go any length to save their son and yours did the same. It hurts, yes, but you are saved, Arthur. Think about that… Gwen’s history now, she no longer exists in your life. You have a bright new future ahead of you so it’s time you paid attention to that!”
“Gwaine… let him be, son. He will never believe me no matter who advises him. And I am used to this by now. I am just relieved he has his eyesight back… and thank you for speaking on my behalf,” Uther says softly, looking sadly at Arthur who still keeps quiet.
“What are you doing, Arthur?” Gwaine hisses, shaking Arthur’s arm.
For Arthur everything seems blurring. He can’t think clearly. He understands what Gwaine is telling him but he cannot look beyond what he understands. He wants to believe his father and though one half of his heart is with his father, the other half is still lacking trust. And now Gwaine is confusing him further by taking sides with his old man. ‘Where’s Merlin?’ Arthur thinks. He values his friend’s advice and now he needs it more than ever. But there’s no sight of his friend. Gwaine is probably reacting because he is hurt by Gwen’s actions today, but Merlin had been on Gwen’s side all the way. ‘Does he knows something I don’t know?’ Arthur thinks. His heart is heavy. He wants to believe his father yet something is nagging in the back of his head, like a warning bell. What could that be? And now, Gwaine wants him to reconcile with his father. ‘Who should I trust?’ Arthur thinks. ‘Gwen… my father?’ Arthur thinks and closes his eyes. His head throbs. The events of today have been stressing and it’s no good for his eyes.
“Arthur?” Uther’s hand on his shoulder alerts him. Arthur stiffens.
“I am sorry, Son,” Uther says, tears welling in his eyes.
And Arthur’s heart softens. His own tears, the ones he’d been keeping in check all this while rolls down his cheek. He pulls his father close and hugs him. “I’m sorry, Father… I am sorry.”
“No, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I have everything to be sorry for, Father. I still feel this whole situation is bizarre but I promise you this…” Arthur pulls himself away from his father. “I will try to be the son you want. I give you my word.”
“Thank you Arthur… thank you,” Uther says and hugs his son back.
