AM I THE ONE? | ARTHUR PENDRAGON [1]

Failure

*Annabelle's P.O.V.*

    Morgana and I walked up to stand on either sides of Arthur, who was standing in the main square.
"Who are they?" Morgana asked as the three of us looked at hundreds of people who continued to queue outside the grain store.
"They've come from the outlying villages in search of food." I explained solemnly, glancing at my best friend.
"There's not enough rations to feed the people who are already here." Arthur nearly growled quietly, turning slowly in a circle as he looked at all the starving people.
"You shouldn't blame yourself." Morgana told him, seeing the guilt in his eyes as well as I. "I'm sure you're doing everything you can."
"It's not enough." The Prince said quietly, clearly furious with himself that he isn't able to protect his people, before heading back towards the castle. As soon as he was out of the hearing range, Morgana turned to me.
"Did you manage to find any food?" She whispered, and I looked down at the basket I was holding and lifted the cloth on top of it, revealing some bread. Morgana looked at me with wide eyes. "Where did you get that?"
"I was able to smuggle it out of the palace kitchens." I whispered while looking around, before looking back at my best friend. "I'll share it out amongst the children and older people. I'll try to go as far as I can." I said quietly, before quickly heading towards the people who were waiting in a line, waiting for their turn to receive grain. However, there was hardly any left, and I could hear children's cries in the air. As soon as I passed the guards I caught the side of a small boy that was no older than three years old. He was wearing peasant children's clothing, and had tears streaming down his cheeks as he sucked his thumb and held onto a woman's, who I'm guessing is his mother, dress with his other hand. I quickly looked around to make sure that the guards didn't notice anything, before walking over to the small boy and kneeling in front of him so that I was on his eye level. "Hello, sweetie." I said quietly, and the child's teary eyes snapped to me. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm hungly." He sobbed, making my heart twist painfully.
"Here." I whispered, taking the cloth off the basket and grabbing a small piece of bread before handing it to the boy. "Try to save it for later as well, alright?" The boy nodded with tears in his eyes, before throwing his small arms around my neck. My heart swelled at the thought of many other children like him suffering as I wrapped my arms around him as well, before he pulled away from me.
"Thank you so much." The boy's mother looked down at me with tears of gratitude in her eyes, and I smiled a small smile as I stood up.
"I'm sorry." I said quietly. "I wish I could give you some as well, but there is hardly any food left and I'm trying to distribute it to as many children and older people as I can."
"No, no." The woman shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. I completely understand. But I will never be able to thank you enough for this. You might have just saved my son's life. Thank you." She sobbed quietly, and I gave her a small smile, putting a hand on her arm, before proceeding to walk further down the line. "Wait!" The woman called quietly, grabbing my arm, making me turn around to look at her questioningly. "May I ask your name?" She asked, and I nodded.
"Annabelle."
"Thank you, Annabelle."

*The Next Day*

"I know Arthur's stubborn and pig-headed and annoying, but he cares about his people." Merlin said as he, Gaius, and I sat at our dining table. Today in the morning, my brother and Arthur left to the forest in order to seek out Anhora, but it turns out that Arthur encountered the man we caught trying to steal a sack of grain, Evan, in the forest and tried to kill him when he insulted his honor. However, Evan was just a test that Anhora put before Arthur. Arthur failed the test, letting his anger get the best of him, and Camelot's whole grain supply rotted within a second. "More than he cares about himself."
"He will never forgive himself for making his people suffer." I nodded solemnly, agreeing with Merlin.
"You must make sure he doesn't do anything rash, Merlin." Gaius advised.
"The mood he's in?" Merlin shook his head. "I don't know what he's going to do."
    Gaius nodded before looking down at his plate, Merlin doing the same, and looking up at my brother.
"Ready?" The Court Physician asked.
"Are you sure they're not poisonous?" I asked, not wanting my brother to die from eating those things.
"Quite certain." Gaius replied before picking up a giant, dead insect off of his plate, Merlin doing the same, while I just looked at them. We have now ran out of food, so they had to eat anything there is. I however, was lucky. Morgana made sure to provide me and Gwen with at least some food, so I wasn't hungry enough to eat insects. "They say they taste like chicken." Gaius said and opened his mouth, along with Merlin, about to bite the insect, before stopping suddenly and looking at my brother, who also stopped. "Unless we're to starve, we must hope they're right." After a second of hesitation, the two men bit into the insects, which made loud crunching noises. I grimaced and looked away in disgust.
"This tastes nothing like chicken." I heard Merlin say with his mouth full.

*2 Hours Later*

    Merlin, Arthur, and I watched watched from a balcony solemnly as more people continued queuing in the square in search of food.
"They do not yet know there is worse to come." Arthur mumbled from where he was leaning against the balcony cement railing, making me and Merlin look at him questioningly.
"What do you mean?" I asked, and the Prince glanced at me before looking back at his people.
"My father is going to stop distributing food to the people. They are to be left to starve." Arthur said, and I could hear the pain in his voice. "I had the chance to lift the curse... And I failed."
"You weren't to know that you were being tested." I said, trying to make him fell at least a tiny bit better, even though  knew it was pointless. The fact is, that Arthur will not smile again until his people are safe.
"My people are starving." The Prince said with guilt and pain lacing his voice. "Camelot is on the verge of collapse... And it is all my doing." After a second of silence, Arthur turned around and headed back inside. I sighed sadly and looked back at the people in the square, knowing that Arthur's guilt will soon destroy him from the inside out if Merlin and I won't do something.