Character Profile
Mun Info
Name/online handle: Rachel/Railise
Personal LJ: railise
Email: railise79@gmail.com
AIM/Yahoo/MSN/etc: AIM - railise
Character Info
Character: Arthur Pendragon
Fandom: Merlin BBC
Point of Entry: immediately following 3x13 (S3 finale)
Media: TV
Character Journal: couragerising
Voicemail: Link
Phone Number: 555-SWRD
Background:
- birthday-
When Arthur's parents were unable to conceive, his father, King Uther of Camelot, sought out the help of the sorceress Nimueh in his desperation for an heir to continue the Pendragon line. While he got the son he wanted, it cost Queen Ygraine her life. Out of grief and a thirst for revenge, Uther struck at anyone who used magic, banning it and instigating The Great Purge, in which all magic users he could round up were put to death.
Arthur has heard this story, but was led to believe that most of it was the lies of another sorceress, Morgause. To his knowledge, his mother died of natural causes related to his birth, and his father's war against magic is due to the battles fought to unite the kingdom.
What it all meant for him, personally, was that he has always felt a gaping absence where his mother should be (although that is usually a closely-held secret), was raised to detest magic, and his upbringing was entirely in the hands of his father, a warrior-king. As Arthur himself once said, he was "trained to kill since birth," and that's not much of an exaggeration. Uther saw to it that Arthur was well educated, but combat training was always the most important of his lessons. By the time he was twelve, he was besting men several years older than himself.
By the time he was sixteen, he was skilled enough to lead Camelot's knights, which formed his primary social clique. As a group of mostly young men who are believed to be above almost everyone else, their behavior hasn't always been that admirable. Still, they're all dedicated to the knights' code, and are wholly devoted to the kingdom.
His fighting skill was not entirely tested by formal challenges or tournaments; Camelot has often been the focus of attack by smaller, neighboring kingdoms, vengeful sorcerers, and various magical beasts. Arthur has seen his share of minor battles, gaining experience he needed recently as the threats to Camelot have grown dire.
Meanwhile, he has not only been prepared to lead an army, but also a kingdom. He's been taught to comport himself with honor and dignity, as befitting a crown prince, and to do whatever is necessary to ensure Camelot's survival.
The last few years have brought a lot of change to Arthur's life. Merlin has proven to be a grounding force for him, even though it often seems like Merlin makes everything more complicated. Between Merlin and also Guinevere, Arthur has also gained a greater understanding of the plight of regular people; he's always considered them more than his father does, but that concern has strengthened through those friendships. Both of them, and Morgana for awhile, have helped him question his habit of completely bowing to Uther's orders, so that he has started to gain the confidence he'll need to come into his own as a leader.
Falling in love with Gwen has also had a huge impact on him. He's never been very emotionally invested in a woman, and having it happen so unexpectedly has floored him. However, in the same way that she has opened his eyes as to the kingdom and to himself, being in love has made him realize that he has a duty to himself as well as to Camelot; that if he is miserable, he cannot be the king that Camelot will need.
Just before Arthur arrives, Camelot nearly fell to the combined efforts of Morgana, Morgause, and the warlord Cenred; and it was only through Arthur's strength of leadership, and the help of his few personal friends and allies, that the kingdom was saved. This has greatly affected Uther, although it remains to be seen if the effects are lasting. If so, Arthur may have to step in and assume the ruling of Camelot, a role he's not sure he's ready for. However, he's now publicly acknowledged his relationship with Guinevere, and while it remains to be seen what the general reaction will be, he's relieved (and proud) that he will have her with him for whatever he will have to do.
Personality:
Being the sole heir to the kingdom, presented as a paragon of knighthood, and being ridiculously good-looking into the mix, has contributed to giving Arthur an overly healthy ego. While it hasn't endeared him to some people (especially those who are socially beneath him), it fits well with his peers. Likewise, he knows how to comport himself with the dignity befitting a future king, and is at ease in handling most social situations. And, in keeping with his fight training, as well as simply based on his own personal inclinations, he's very physical, a man of action.
All of that, while not an act, does also serve to mask some deep-seated underlying insecurities. He's expected to live up to his father while deferring to him, which are not easily compatible situations; if he succeeds too well in one direction, it's likely that he's failed in the other. His mistakes or defeats often reflect not only on Arthur, but also on Uther and the whole of Camelot-- and Uther doesn't let him forget it. Whether his father berates him or conveys understanding seems random sometimes, and the constant uncertainty has not helped him feel any more secure.
Regardless, he does have complete confidence in his ability in a fight. Because of that confidence, losses can shake him, but he recovers soon enough. And, if the root of his success is a continued drive to prove himself, he's not aware of it. That Uther's as ready to praise his successes as criticize his failures does help bolster his esteem.
A lot of his behavior is reflective of the knights' code, which he takes very seriously. Honor and nobility of character aren't things he has to work at; they come to him naturally. His word is his bond, and he is devoted to the protection of Camelot; and he will hold to those principles even if the result is his death. He may tend to show off, and he has a healthy sense of humor, but at his center he's fairly pensive.
Despite his intelligence and thoughtfulness, he can miss things that are right in front of his face. His own depth of honor leads him to expect the same of others, occasionally making unwise decisions because of misplaced trust. He is starting to realize that Merlin, whom he mainly thought to be an utter fool, runs far more deeply than Arthur has given him credit for. Likewise, Morgana managed to fool him completely; he had no idea of her deception, and despite the fact that no one else suspected it either (to his knowledge), he has taken the betrayal doubly hard because he feels that he should have noticed some warning sign.
Very rarely, he finds himself at sea, but falling in love with Guinevere has proven to be just such a situation. He's never felt any sort of emotional attachment to a woman before, and he's had no idea how to act, what to say, or what to do, which is an unfamiliar phenomenon for him. The fact that he's had to hide his feelings has further complicated it, since he's an honest, straightforward man, not used to deception. The strain from that has surfaced, most noticeably when Uther accused her of enchanting Arthur and was going to have her put to death, when Arthur publicly offered to give up Camelot and leave with her. The declaration went against everything he had ever believed, and while he sincerely meant it, the realization has not made the situation any easier. Needless to say, he's relieved that he will not have to face such a decision, as well as relieved to finally be honest about it, beyond his pleasure at having their relationship known.
Physical Description: Tall, muscular from a lifetime of training, with the blond hair and blue eyes of his mother, Arthur has never had cause to be concerned with his appearance. He dresses well, as befits his station, but not with any particular flash. He has a silver ring of his mother's which he regularly wears on his left pointer finger, and occasionally wears a silver bracelet or a pair of leather cuffs, as well as a simple pendant now and then. He's usually wearing his armor, and sometimes has the uniform tunic of the Camelot knights on over his chainmail.
Does your pup have any special powers/abilities/gifts that we should be aware of? Arthur's a highly skilled fighter with various medieval weaponry; no superpowers.
What brings your character to the village? What does he need to learn/achieve, etc? At this point in canon, Arthur's facing the possibility of having to rule Camelot in place of his father. While he's been preparing for it his whole life, it's been kind of an amorphous thing-- something that was going to happen someday, but not anytime soon. It didn't feel real, since it meant that his father would be dead; and Uther's so strong and present, nearly larger than life, his death seems like an impossible situation. However, Morgana's attempt to take Camelot has hindered Uther's ability to carry out his duties, so Arthur may have to step in. He does not feel ready to assume the role of king or prince regent, nor does he want to seize power and thus publicly undermine his father; but, he also can't let Camelot fall if it's improperly ruled.
Why do you want to play this character? I've recently started writing Arthur/Gwen fanfic, and Arthur's really taken root in my head. The character has grown so much over the last three series, going from kind of a prat who's used to following his orders, to a strong leader in his own right on the verge of assuming a kingship, and I'd love to explore how he's gotten to this point, how it's affected him, and where he can go from here. I rp with Michelle/desertrose9 elsewhere on LiveJournal, and she mentioned that she was app'ing Gwen here (as well as highly recommending the game), and it seemed like a great opportunity to give exploring Arthur a go!
~Added: 5 personal items:
1.) His armor
2.) His weapons rack
3.) His chair
4.) His lute and drum
5.) tbd
Character based writing sample:
The first time Arthur proposed to Guinevere was, if he said so himself, very romantic.
Well... it should have been romantic, anyway.
He even helped set the whole thing up, rather than making Merlin do it. Part of the reason was that he could not be certain the dollophead would get it done right; part of the reason was recalling the chicken dinner at Guinevere's house, and he figured that he really should have a hand in this. If there was ever a disastrous time to disappoint one's beloved, a proposal was most certainly it.
Also, he simply wanted to do this for her.
So, after setting strict orders that no one should set eye on nor foot in the castle courtyard, he and Merlin had draped the entire area in a shimmery, pink fabric, which Merlin assured him would catch the torchlight brilliantly. Arthur was not so certain, but it reminded him of one of Guinevere's dresses, which was enough to make him like it. They had strewn the cobblestones with rose petals, and Merlin put something on the roof that was making bubbles drift down over the scene (Arthur did not want to know how, since it would likely prove to give him a headache at the thought).
The final touch was a small table swathed in more of the pink cloth and rose petals, with a candelabra in the center and a lavish dinner set out: stuffed duck rubbed with lavender and mint, glazed turnips, chilled pears, and miniature cakes for dessert. A sparkling wine completed the meal; but the evening was not complete until he had led Guinevere into the courtyard, laughing because he kept making sure that she was not peeking around the hand she held over her eyes.
She had the most wonderful laugh, gentle and genuine, just like her; and Arthur had to grin, loving the sound and the woman making it. He never thought he would fall in love this deeply, but he was grateful that it had happened.
He had not been this nervous since his first skirmish, yet his nerves were tempered by satisfaction at how delighted she was when he finally gave her the okay to look. Everything went so well, in fact, that he was much calmer by the time he said softly, "There is something I need to ask you," and went to kneel down beside her.
That was when a wyvern decided to sweep in and set the fabric draperies aflame.
He fought it off and turned to Guinevere, who was dodging firey bits of fabric that fluttered down around them as she ran to get help. Soon, the courtyard would be swarming with people, and after all that had gone into setting the evening up, he could not help but call, "Guinevere, wait!"
Pausing before running up the steps so that he could catch up to her, she brushed some ash from her face and hurriedly asked, "What is it?"
Rushing over, he panted, "Will you marry me?"
It made even him cringe to hear how awkward that sounded, and she stared at him in disbelief for a beat before grabbing her skirts to resume her dash into the castle. "Are you serious?"
As the warning bells began clanging, he muttered, "I was."
"Arthur, this is hardly the time!"
She was right, but now that the question was out, he needed her answer. "I know, but... yes or no?"
Water splashed nearby as people extinguished the flames from upper windows. "Not like this," she said quietly.
"Right. Sorry." He understood, but was still disappointed as he went to oversee the firefighting efforts.
-from "In Good Times and Bad", third place winner in the Arthur/Gwen Last Author Standing, Round 2