The Throne of Light (Merlin BBC fanfic)

Chapter 3

Merlin rushed through the halls of the citadel, making sure he was not spotted by Morgana, Gwen or Uther as he carried letter Anwen sent to Arthur in three parts. Really…that woman could write long and elaborately when she wanted to and yet she could also be short and mysterious. Right now though Merlin did not care about the fact Anwen wrote letters according to her moods.

All he cared about was the possibility that Anwen's letter might alleviate Arthur's still slightly depressed and angered mood after the whole fiasco with Morgause about week ago. He made a mental note to give Shae, Anwen's Gyrfalcon, extra treats when he returned to his room. Out of his normal routine, he knocked on the doors of Arthur's chambers before he came in and found the prince sitting on the window sill just as he did after Merlin took away the breakfast tray.

"Since when do you knock Merlin?" Arthur asked dejectedly.

Deciding that now was not the good time for witty response; Merlin simply shrugged and set three carefully folded parchments on the prince's desk, making the owner of it look at his manservant suspiciously.

"What is that?"

"That is a letter from Anwen. In three parts, she likes to write long ones when she is in the mood for it. Do you need anything else?" Merlin asked.

"No, thank you Merlin. And tell the guards down in the hall that I do not wish to be disturbed until further notice." Arthur quietly dismissed him, picked up the first part of the letter and returned to his sitting place on the window sill, where he had excellent daylight for reading.

Merlin merely sighed, picked up the basket with laundry he left at the door and with one last look at his friend over the shoulder, quietly left the room, leaving prince alone with the letter. For his part, Arthur comfortably settled on the window sill and cracked the seal on the letter to read it, with one hand holding the parchment and the other supporting his chin.

'My dear cousin,

First I must apologize for not writing to you for such a long time. As a prince that will one day rule a kingdom of his own, I am sure you will understand when I say I was busy attending to my duties as the princess of my kingdom. Before you continue to read this letter I urge you to remain calm and do not blame Merlin for decisions he has made last week. Although I know I am not at fault here, I do apologize for Morgause's misdeeds as it really does not befit a High Priestess of the Old Religion to use her powers for wrong cause. But know this…Even though Morgause's goal by summoning your mother's spirit was to cause you kill your father, your mother's spirit was very real and not an illusion as Merlin told you. Do not hold this white lie against him for he did it in your best interest and that is to spare you the guilt and regret you would feel later in life should you have succeeded in killing your father.' Arthur's mind reeled as his eyes smoothly read Anwen's elaborate but simple to read handwriting and shortly stood up to get the other two parts of the letter he set beside him so it would be easier for him to read.

'That being said, you must have realized now that what your mother said to you was true. And yes, my mother Inis has confirmed when I asked her even though I spent next few hours sitting beside her, trying to calm her down because any memory of what has happened to your mother still pains my mother very much. This is one of the rare moments that I have seen my mother weep so openly when anyone could see her. I plead with you not to fight with your father over this again; if not for me then for your mother as I am certain she would not like that. I realize that I can never relate to you in the pain that was caused by your mother's total absence and I cannot in my good conscience defend your father's mistakes of the past because they also deprived me of knowing my aunt whom I have always longed to meet when I was a little girl. But there is something I must point out rather plainly. If Uther had not done what he had, you would have never been born and I would never have the chance of having you in my life even though right now it does not mean much considering we live in different kingdoms with different sets of laws.'

Arthur drew in a sharp breath after reading this line, no matter how it pained him to read it; he knew it was an honest and true remark. He set the parchment aside and took up the third, final part of the letter.

'Since we are so apart, I cannot see your eyes that are by far the most expressive part of yourself and I do not know how you feel. Maybe it is anger, maybe pain, and maybe sorrow. I do not know. What I do hope for that somewhere in your heart you find the chance for me and those like me to prove it to you that magic is not force used for trickeries and evil alone. Once again, I apologize for Morgause's misdeeds and hope you will not see me in the same darkness as her. Should you wish to reply to this letter, you know whom you can give it to pass it on to me. If you deem you need time and silence between us, I shall understand that as well even though I will not like it.

With all my love, your cousin Anwen'

Arthur set the final part of the letter down and allowed his gaze to wander off through the window out to the skyline above, needing to sort his mind as it tried to process the letter and the information that came with it before he even decides what to do next.