Puissance: Chapter Nineteen
Title: Puissance: Chapter Nineteen
Author: ArthurMerlin
Artist: blood_songs90
Pairings/characters: Arthur/Merlin (minor: OC/OC, Gwen/Lancelot)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 30,798
Warnings: None
Summary:The turbulent times of Prime Minister Arthur Pendragon, in which war looms, betrayal waits in the wings, and unexpected love blossoms.
Disclaimer: Neither ArthurMerlin nor blood_songs90 owns any aspect of Merlin. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Chapter Nineteen
Arthur stood nervously before the High Altar in Westminster Abbey. After the war, he had been rewarded with a knighthood in the Order of the Bath which, amongst other things, granted him the privilege to hold the ceremony in the Abbey. Beside him, Merlin, dressed in a grey morning suit, looked equally nervous as the congregation finished the singing of ‘Love Divine’.
The Archbishop of Canterbury came forward and began the service proper. It was a ceremony to rival even the most splendid royal wedding; guests had poured in from the civil service, Parliament, the Cabinet, even foreign dignitaries. The Kings watched proudly from their thrones, behind them Sir Gaius, Cedric, and other members of the Civil Service sat smartly alongside Leon, Percival, Gwaine, Mithian, and the other members of the Cabinet. All of them stared as Arthur and Merlin pronounced their vows:
I, Arthur Uther George, take thee, Merlin Rhys to my wedded spouse, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth. With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee worship; and all my worldly goods with thee I share: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Merlin’s smile was brighter than the sun as Arthur slipped the ring onto his finger, and Arthur would never be ashamed to say that his matching smile was equally bright as Merlin pronounced the same words and placed a ring on his own finger.
Arthur assisted Merlin as they knelt for the blessing; as he had inhaled some of Mordred’s poison gas and was still feeling some of the after effects. It had been designed so as to be inert and harmless to Mordred, but lethal to all other people; an extraordinary design, which was still baffling the world’s best scientists. MI6 were toying with a whacky idea that Mordred had been dabbling in the occult, as they’d found an old grimoire in his desk in the Kremlin. That particular story was being kept quiet by all the governments aware of it, although Arthur privately entertained the notion that it was true. He had seen Mordred’s unnatural strength and those unearthly black eyes; it just seemed to make sense. Merlin had been lucky to have only inhaled a microscopic amount and would, in time, make a full recovery.
The Archbishop placed a hand on their heads and pronounced the blessing:
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favour look upon you; and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may so live together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen.
Arthur and Merlin stood up and turned around as the congregation sang the final hymn. When the hymn was finished, they walked over to the Kings and bowed. The Kings gave an acknowledging nod of their heads and the National Anthem was played; Johan gave them both a quick smile and a mouthed ‘well done’ on top of the regal nod.
As Arthur and Merlin took their places in the procession leaving the Abbey, they saw Lance and Gwen hand-in-hand a few rows back from the front. Arthur gave them a nod, and Gwen replied in kind. Her and Lance had become engaged just after Mordred’s death and the signing of peace with the new provisional Russian government, after Arthur had filed for annulment.
Merlin saw them too, and mouthed ‘you’re next!’ as he walked by, clutching tightly at Arthur’s hand.
Cedric popped his head out of his row to hiss; “brilliant, Emrys! You’ve no idea how much leverage this gives the Service!” He was pulled back by Gaius, who smiled proudly over at his protégés.
Gwaine clapped loudly and even whistled as the couple walked by, earning him a shove from Percival and a stern look from Mithian. He had the decency to look a little chastened, and gave up the whistling in favour of just clapping.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” Merlin whispered into Arthur’s ear.
“Show me,” Arthur replied, smirking.
“You just wait until we get to that honeymoon suite,” Merlin purred, and Arthur couldn’t help the joyous laugh that escaped him.
The great West Doors of the Abbey opened as the procession neared, and Arthur and Merlin emerged with the Kings and the clergy into the light of a summer’s day to greet the cheering crowds.