rabbit hearted boy, epilogue
Part Seven
Epilogue
Arthur placed his palms on the balcony and breathed in the fresh air as he stared out into the courtyard below.
It had been a few years since he had broken the curse that had plagued him - and in doing so broken the enchantments on Guinevere and the town water supply, as both had been tied to him - but he still took pleasure in watching others perform feats that would have been nearly impossible for him at an earlier time in his life.
Currently, he was marvelling at a child down in the courtyard, the three-year old son of his mother’s former handmaiden if he was not mistaken, doing a cartwheel and wondered what would have happened if he had tried that particular stunt at the same age. He also considered if he would be able to do it now, although he doubted it.
It had taken him months to learn how to walk properly after he had regained his balance. Uther had hired the best teachers to help him - although Arthur had rather preferred the lessons Guinevere had given him in private, even if they had often involved Merlin watching and laughing from the corner - but it had taken him some time to get used to this new way of walking without continually falling over. Although with the help from the best trainers and knights Arthur had become quite skilled at fighting, there were some movements that were still a little unusual for him.
Just as he had almost come to the decision that he was at least going to attempt doing that cartwheel - when he was certain no one was watching, of course - he was surprised by Morgana’s appearance on the balcony.
“Arthur! There you are!”
“What’s the matter?” he wondered, observing her worry.
“It’s the baby, come quick!”
She did not leave him time to answer, turning on her heel and going back the way she came.
Arthur sprinted after her, gripped by fear. “Why? What’s happened?” he demanded, as they made their way to the nursery, which was not far from them.
She looked at him quite seriously before speaking with hesitation. “I don’t wish to alarm you, but…”
“But what?” he cried.
“I had only opened the window a little bit for some air when the baby…started floating! - I closed it straight away, but she remained there; in the air!”
Arthur stopped, and rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Morgana. You shouldn’t have scared me like that.”
“Arthur, I’m being serious!”
“Stop it, I’m not going to fall for that,” he insisted as he opened the door to the nursery and saw his newborn daughter floating in the middle of the room.
Hands on her hips, Morgana looked at him accusingly. “I told you.”
“Guinevere!” Arthur bellowed for his wife, before reaching out to grab his child, but she hovered just out of his reach.
“It is no use,” Morgana said, as he tried again, but in vain.
“Right, we need a ladder - and Sir Leon!” he said seriously to Morgana.
“Arthur, what’s going on?” They heard a voice call from outside the open door just before Gwen entered. “I was just coming up the stairs and -”
“Look!” he exclaimed, pointing at their daughter. “She’s floating! Didn’t I tell you it could happen? You said it wasn’t hereditary because it was an enchantment and our child couldn’t inherit it because the spell was broken, but look!” He pointed again and tried to grab onto her. “Where is Leon?” he demanded.
“I will fetch him!” Morgana offered, and was about to leave, but Gwen stopped her. She gave Gwen her most innocent look, but she was not convinced.
Walking up to her husband, she asked, demonstrating, “Arthur, have you noticed that the wind is blowing in this way?”
“Yes, I can feel it, Gwen -”
“Have you also noticed,” she added gently, placing her hand on his arm, “that our daughter is moving in the other direction?”
Arthur looked at the scene more critically before turning his gaze to Morgana. She had clapped a hand over her mouth, but that did not cover the sparkling of her eyes or the way her shoulders shook. It didn’t take him much longer to notice she stood in front of the screen.
“Merlin!”
Morgana stopped trying to hide her giggles at that, and a loud chuckle sounded from behind the screen before a man emerged from it, looking entirely pleased with himself.
“Merlin, you get her down right now.”
“It was only a joke,” he protested, at Arthur’s seething tone.
“Now, Merlin!”
Merlin sighed but did as Arthur wished, raising a hand and gently lowering the baby girl into her mother’s waiting arms.
“You can both leave now,” Arthur stated to Morgana and Merlin’s grinning faces. Laughing, they did so as he called out to them before they shut the door, “See if I ever let either of you babysit again!” At Gwen’s subsequent giggle, he defended himself, “It’s not funny!”
“It’s a little funny,” she pointed out, with a sweet smile.
“None of you have ever done it.”
“Well, she,” Gwen said, tapping her daughter’s little nose with her index finger, “seems to have enjoyed it very much.”
Arthur couldn’t help but smile in return at his daughter’s toothless grin, but insisted, “She wouldn’t like it so much if she had to live with it, trust me.”
“But she doesn’t, and neither do you anymore.”
Arthur nodded, before murmuring. “It is true though, that it couldn’t happen? Not just to her, but even any of our other children?” Nimueh had died some time ago - Uther had ordered the knights to investigate and discovered her hiding place, but once they had reached the Isle they found the storm they suffered through on their journey had caused the surrounding to rise and ruin all the structures, taking the people with it - but Arthur still worried that he could somehow pass the condition on.
“Any of our other children? Just how many do you think we’re going to have?” Gwen wondered.
“I don’t know…a few,” Arthur said with a shrug.
“Well, I hope you’re not expecting any more soon, or need I remind you that I just gave birth not even two weeks ago?”
“I don’t mean now, just…later.”
Gwen smiled. “I am sure none of our children will be blown away by a burst of wind or have any sort of problem to do with lightness, Arthur.”
“You’re certain?”
She placed her palm on his cheek reassuringly. “Have a little faith. You will see; all will be fine.”
And, she was right, for no Pendragon was to be found floating in the air ever again.
Although, they did grow up to be particularly keen swimmers.
END
Epilogue
Arthur placed his palms on the balcony and breathed in the fresh air as he stared out into the courtyard below.
It had been a few years since he had broken the curse that had plagued him - and in doing so broken the enchantments on Guinevere and the town water supply, as both had been tied to him - but he still took pleasure in watching others perform feats that would have been nearly impossible for him at an earlier time in his life.
Currently, he was marvelling at a child down in the courtyard, the three-year old son of his mother’s former handmaiden if he was not mistaken, doing a cartwheel and wondered what would have happened if he had tried that particular stunt at the same age. He also considered if he would be able to do it now, although he doubted it.
It had taken him months to learn how to walk properly after he had regained his balance. Uther had hired the best teachers to help him - although Arthur had rather preferred the lessons Guinevere had given him in private, even if they had often involved Merlin watching and laughing from the corner - but it had taken him some time to get used to this new way of walking without continually falling over. Although with the help from the best trainers and knights Arthur had become quite skilled at fighting, there were some movements that were still a little unusual for him.
Just as he had almost come to the decision that he was at least going to attempt doing that cartwheel - when he was certain no one was watching, of course - he was surprised by Morgana’s appearance on the balcony.
“Arthur! There you are!”
“What’s the matter?” he wondered, observing her worry.
“It’s the baby, come quick!”
She did not leave him time to answer, turning on her heel and going back the way she came.
Arthur sprinted after her, gripped by fear. “Why? What’s happened?” he demanded, as they made their way to the nursery, which was not far from them.
She looked at him quite seriously before speaking with hesitation. “I don’t wish to alarm you, but…”
“But what?” he cried.
“I had only opened the window a little bit for some air when the baby…started floating! - I closed it straight away, but she remained there; in the air!”
Arthur stopped, and rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Morgana. You shouldn’t have scared me like that.”
“Arthur, I’m being serious!”
“Stop it, I’m not going to fall for that,” he insisted as he opened the door to the nursery and saw his newborn daughter floating in the middle of the room.
Hands on her hips, Morgana looked at him accusingly. “I told you.”
“Guinevere!” Arthur bellowed for his wife, before reaching out to grab his child, but she hovered just out of his reach.
“It is no use,” Morgana said, as he tried again, but in vain.
“Right, we need a ladder - and Sir Leon!” he said seriously to Morgana.
“Arthur, what’s going on?” They heard a voice call from outside the open door just before Gwen entered. “I was just coming up the stairs and -”
“Look!” he exclaimed, pointing at their daughter. “She’s floating! Didn’t I tell you it could happen? You said it wasn’t hereditary because it was an enchantment and our child couldn’t inherit it because the spell was broken, but look!” He pointed again and tried to grab onto her. “Where is Leon?” he demanded.
“I will fetch him!” Morgana offered, and was about to leave, but Gwen stopped her. She gave Gwen her most innocent look, but she was not convinced.
Walking up to her husband, she asked, demonstrating, “Arthur, have you noticed that the wind is blowing in this way?”
“Yes, I can feel it, Gwen -”
“Have you also noticed,” she added gently, placing her hand on his arm, “that our daughter is moving in the other direction?”
Arthur looked at the scene more critically before turning his gaze to Morgana. She had clapped a hand over her mouth, but that did not cover the sparkling of her eyes or the way her shoulders shook. It didn’t take him much longer to notice she stood in front of the screen.
“Merlin!”
Morgana stopped trying to hide her giggles at that, and a loud chuckle sounded from behind the screen before a man emerged from it, looking entirely pleased with himself.
“Merlin, you get her down right now.”
“It was only a joke,” he protested, at Arthur’s seething tone.
“Now, Merlin!”
Merlin sighed but did as Arthur wished, raising a hand and gently lowering the baby girl into her mother’s waiting arms.
“You can both leave now,” Arthur stated to Morgana and Merlin’s grinning faces. Laughing, they did so as he called out to them before they shut the door, “See if I ever let either of you babysit again!” At Gwen’s subsequent giggle, he defended himself, “It’s not funny!”
“It’s a little funny,” she pointed out, with a sweet smile.
“None of you have ever done it.”
“Well, she,” Gwen said, tapping her daughter’s little nose with her index finger, “seems to have enjoyed it very much.”
Arthur couldn’t help but smile in return at his daughter’s toothless grin, but insisted, “She wouldn’t like it so much if she had to live with it, trust me.”
“But she doesn’t, and neither do you anymore.”
Arthur nodded, before murmuring. “It is true though, that it couldn’t happen? Not just to her, but even any of our other children?” Nimueh had died some time ago - Uther had ordered the knights to investigate and discovered her hiding place, but once they had reached the Isle they found the storm they suffered through on their journey had caused the surrounding to rise and ruin all the structures, taking the people with it - but Arthur still worried that he could somehow pass the condition on.
“Any of our other children? Just how many do you think we’re going to have?” Gwen wondered.
“I don’t know…a few,” Arthur said with a shrug.
“Well, I hope you’re not expecting any more soon, or need I remind you that I just gave birth not even two weeks ago?”
“I don’t mean now, just…later.”
Gwen smiled. “I am sure none of our children will be blown away by a burst of wind or have any sort of problem to do with lightness, Arthur.”
“You’re certain?”
She placed her palm on his cheek reassuringly. “Have a little faith. You will see; all will be fine.”
And, she was right, for no Pendragon was to be found floating in the air ever again.
Although, they did grow up to be particularly keen swimmers.
END