by GR Griffin
“What is it Morgana?” he huffed drearily, picking his pace up a little. Being late to his father’s meeting was not an option.
Shrugging silently, Morgana kept her lips pressed shut tightly. This action caused an elaborate eye roll on Arthur’s part. Though inside, his mind was stirring. No doubt Morgana had picked up on the same things, maybe her inquisitive mind had deduced even more than he had. Either way, the name Morgause would not be included if it wasn’t something to do with magic. The pair continued down the bland corridor without any apparent contact with each other. Arthur took this opportunity to run through the paperwork in his hands. If this was an urgent meeting, he assumed Uther was going to want figures, statistics or something of the sort for the year’s first quarter. A smirk tugged at his lips when he noticed Morgana peering over at his preparation in envy, or even worry that she had not thought to do the same.
He placed the paper back into his folder a few minutes later, just long enough to tease her a little more. An audible sigh escaped Morgana’s lips. Glancing over to her, Arthur watched her narrowed eyes lock on two figures standing in front of them. One was a well-built man in a navy blue suit, with rugged looks and an intense presence. His very aura demonstrated he was an alpha male, a nasty gleam in his eyes suggested that nobody should question his apparent greatness. The other obeyed his every command, more like the lanky sidekick. He was wearing a grey suit – similar to Arthur’s – with what Arthur would classify as long hair for a man (meaning it fell a little over one eye on the side and came slightly below the ears) wearing an unpleasant slimy smile. The two of them combined created a spiteful duo.
Oh great.
Clenching his fists slightly, Arthur strode forwards with a charming smile plastered over his face. When it came to Valiant and Cedric, biting your tongue and pretending that they were actually significant was all you could do. Especially in Arthur’s case, for reasons he didn’t understand his father valued their supposed expertise. Valiant, the more defined of the pair, smirked wickedly at Arthur. Quickly, Arthur averted his gaze uncomfortably; he wasn’t in the mood for some pointless confrontation or ‘Arthur-bashing’ as Morgana had labelled it.
Apparently, a minute handful of people thought he was the weak link in the Pendragon chain, not worthy of his father’s inheritance or the business for that matter. Valiant and Cedric were at the forefront of this vicious campaign against him. It was a subtle movement, gestured through things as little a body language, word phrasing and general attitude towards him; Uther Pendragon seemed oblivious to any attempts of people making his son feel incompetent at his job. Arthur tried to brush past the pair, the conference room was a few metres ahead he could make it if he really tried- A firm hand grasped him by the shoulder.
“Ah, Valiant.” He said through a false smile, eyes riming with distaste.
Raising his eyebrows, Arthur blinked at the man who was significantly taller and stronger and could-so-beat-him-up if he wanted to. Intimidation was something the Pendragon’s were masters at hiding, and some even believed Arthur Pendragon’s façade of nonchalance in situations like these.
“So, do you have something to say to me?” he jibed, awaiting some kind of insult. “or are you just going to stare at me like a rabid mutt all day?”
Snarling, Valiant released Arthur forcefully.
“Watch yourself Blondie.” He spat.
Adjusting his suit, Arthur walked briskly away from the pair, and into the large conference room. Confusion washed over his face. It was as he had suspected. There was a large table in the centre of the room – far too big for five people to sit at - and a huge screen at the back with a projector. Standing by the laptop beside the projector was the fierce Uther Pendragon, and to his left was none other than Morgause. Arthur took a place at the table, next to Leon who smiled genuinely at him before glancing over to Morgana opposite them coyly. Valiant and Cedric centred themselves between Arthur and Morgana. The blonde woman with her severe gaze strode towards the doors and shut them, dimming the lights a little to allow the screen to resonate better.
“Thank you,” Uther Pendragon’s voice resounded around the room. “for arriving so promptly. There is a matter of great importance I wish to bring your attention to.” He paused, and walked towards the table with a proud smile.
“A new project.” Arthur and Morgana exchanged befuddled glances.
A new project? How did Arthur not know anything about this? Uther always consulted him with new projects- as a means of giving his son an insight to the future of his career, and to develop his skills. Swallowing-hard, Arthur glanced over to his father who was looking at the screen triumphantly. And then a word appeared on the screen, a very dangerous word. It was a word Arthur Pendragon had never expected to see here of all places.
Albion.
Arthur heard Valiant beside him animatedly whispering to Cedric. He was too bewildered to process the words or take in anything else around other than this word. Albion- the magical place, the realm where druids lived in harmony and tranquillity away from this prejudiced land. It was apparently larger than the continent of Oceania, more spectacular than any of this world’s wonder. And – his eyes wavered towards Morgause’s mischievous eyes – it was protected from this world by ancient magic. A slight nausea washed over Arthur, he ran a hand through his golden hair slowly. Albion. His father’s voice broke him out of his trance.
“Welcome to the Albion Project.”
The words confirmed his growing suspicions. Leon looked excited next to him, clearly overwhelmed by the notion; Morgana looked disgusted. Arthur wasn’t sure what to think, or what to feel.
“Using state of the art technology developed by Morgause and extensive magical research-”
“-you mean torture-” Morgana viciously interjected, fingers digging into the wooden table. Uther shot her a pointed glare before continuing.
“-We have managed to remove the magical barrier that protects Albion from the outside world.”
Arthur watched his father press the remote control in his hands, leading to a new slide; an overhead picture of a vast expanse of untouched, spectacular land. He hadn’t realised his mouth had opened, his eyes wide in awe. Albion – it wasn’t just a myth. It was real! He could see Leon squealing like a girl who had been named prom queen beside him. Sighing, Arthur remained silent, unsure where exactly this whole thing was going. Surely his father wasn’t thinking of going to Albion was he? …Was it possible? Was it legal? A shiver swept down Arthur’s spine; he highly doubted that Camelot Enterprise would have to worry about legalities. The picture flickered to another snapshot of the world. Arthur found himself enraptured by the beauty and simplicity of it; unspoiled forests outstretched for miles and miles. The trees were verdant green, full of vibrancy against the crystal blue sky. The sun was streaming down idyllically onto this newfound paradise. It was staggeringly beautiful, like nothing he had ever seen before.
The picture then morphed into a detailed map.
“Now observe this image,” Uther said, clicking the remote. “A cloropleth map showing the deposits of raw oil in the middle regions.”
The picture was saturated in deep red and dark brown, with rare traces of yellow and orange. One spot in particular appeared to be teeming with the fossil fuel. Arthur felt his heart plummet, so this was the apparent motive. Go into the druid’s sanctuary, and take all of their resources. For reasons Arthur didn’t want to understand, he felt mildly sickened by this proposal. Cedric leant forwards, pointing a finger with enthusiasm.
“I’d say the big money is on that rather large spot over there.”
All eyes darted towards the sight, it was indeed the spot Arthur had suspected.
“Ah.” Uther’s lips tightened. “That. Yes. That’s erm…what is it again Morgause?” he asked almost dismissively, Morgana curled her lip at his tone.
“The Crystal Cave, the place where druids believed their magic itself derived from.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Arthur disliked the sound of this a lot. Discriminating against druids was one thing, but invading their homeland and stripping it of its natural resources was another thing- a very concerning thing. Even worse – eyeing up their sacred religious area as an excavation site; it was almost parallel to the notion of blowing up St. Peter’s Basilica. Leon suddenly spoke, unable to conceal his profound knowledge of the druids any longer. Eyes lighting up in anxiety, his voice resonated.
“It’s also,” he stood up, gesturing for Uther to move the slide. The cloropleth faded and revealed another map showing the population of each area. “home to one of the largest druid clans-“
“-They’ll move, with force they’ll move.” Cedric sneered.
“And boy, do we have force.” Valiant added.
Unsure where the surge of irrepressible protest came from, Arthur shook his head animatedly.
“-No.” Morgana raised her eyebrows appreciatively. “No, you’re looking at it all wrong. There are clearly other dense deposits of oil on this land, which are most likely unpopulated and will bring no conflict with the druids-“
The bulky man beside him focused his attention to Arthur, his face smeared with repugnance. Despite the clear disagreement emanating from Valiant and his sleazy co-worker Cedric, Arthur’s voice sparked up Morgana’s argumentative nature.
“-I can’t believe you’re thinking of mining in one of the druids most sacred areas, let alone where people live!” She stood up objectively, chair falling down behind her from the force of this motion. “What kind of heartless monster are you?!”
There was a tense silence, where the raven-haired woman’s words were allowed to linger and sink in. Then Uther lifted his eyes to hers with a stern calmness and her dispute perished instantly.
“Have I at any point said that we were going to target the Ealdor region?” he asked rhetorically, raising his arms to engage the group of people in front of him. Bowing her head, Morgana sighed, picked up her chair and sat back down slowly.
“Then please, allow me to finish. The next few weeks are going to consist of making preparations. When we land, we will build our main base, near Ealdor and Serepolis. Before we even begin thinking about mining, there are procedures and things we must do first.” Uther glanced over towards the brown-haired male. “Leon if you will.”
It was then Arthur realised that his father must have told Leon about this project before the meeting. He clenched one of his fists under the table in rage – this constant neglect to include him in his father’s work, more recently than ever, was beginning to affect him greatly. Why had his father not trusted him with this? A rational part of him mind interjected: Leon was the magical expert, Uther needed some kind of reassuring statement from somebody who understood magical relations in order for this project to be fully supported.
“Thank you Sir Pendragon. We must first make sure the druids understand that by settling upon their land we mean no harm to them. We must learn their ways, study them, respect their culture.”
Arthur was not surprised at the rude snort that sounded to his right. Bringing a hand to his lips to try and restrain his irritation at Valiant, he tapped his fingernails gently against the table.
“Please. The only way they will understand us, is if we show them that we do not take no for an answer-“
“-They’re people. Just like you and I.” Leon replied bitterly, surprising both Arthur and Morgana with his forceful tone; it was unlike Leon to be anything but polite and calm.
Nonetheless, Arthur found himself agreeing with his friend’s statement. Before anybody else had the chance to respond, Uther Pendragon took a step forwards to the table.
“Yes. But let us remember that they are druids and our negotiations with them will be most absolutely beneficial to us.”
Well, that was definitely a more subtle way to display prejudice against the druids. It seemed Arthur wasn’t the only one to pick up on his father’s crude tone.
“You speak of the druids like they’re nothing but scum on your shoe-”
“-Well,” Valiant spat with a callous laugh. “that’s what they are aren’t they? Shit on the sidewalk-”
Cedric sniggered. In a flash, Morgana was on her feet, ready to no doubt pounce on Valiant and cut out his tongue with her fingers. But Arthur was quicker, grabbing her arm forcefully – he would not let her go through with something she would regret. He held a hand up in the air, eyes narrowed towards the disdainful man causing all of the unnecessary conflict. Morgana released herself from his grasp, remaining standing, as did Valiant and Arthur. It was moments like these where those who did not believe in Arthur’s authority and prominence were subjected to scrutiny, for he now had everybody in the room focusing on him.
“Father.” He said sternly, eyes never leaving Valiant. “You can’t allow this kind of discrimination against the druids to continue. I will not tolerate one more bad word against them.”
Uther glanced over to Valiant, then to Morgana and nodded indifferently. The pair immediately sat down in dejection, knowing the conflict was over…for now.
“Arthur is right.” At these words, Arthur smiled with pride. “We must not speak erroneously of the druids that live in Albion. They could be far different from the extremists we encounter in this world. Now, we depart for Albion in three weeks. Cedric, Morgause; you are to be responsible for the locations of our future mining projects in Albion. Valiant, Morgana I want you on logistics and military defences…”
Sitting back down, Arthur felt his anxiety fade away. His father trusted him, respected his decisions. An open agreement with his own son was a very rare gesture – an open agreement with anybody was too. Reaching for the glass of water in front of him, Arthur took a generous gulp. Everything appeared to be in his favour…until his mind focused back onto his father’s words and he heard something utterly preposterous.
“…human-druid affairs. Arthur, you’re to work under Leon’s department.”
Arthur almost spat the water in his mouth back out all over the table, instead he choked rather audibly at his father’s words. All eyes were on him. But not for this reason- because he was working under somebody. Under a department, under someone-fucking-else. In his whole time in Camelot, Uther had never put Arthur under the authority of somebody else apart from himself. He was always the second highest figure in the business, in any project, in everything. No, no. Panic spread through his veins. Arthur had not been sent to work under someone else’s department ever. This was the biggest insult that could have ever been dealt. Uther’s mouth opened once more to conclude the meeting, but Arthur wasn’t listening. He was staring vacantly at the glass of water in shock. How could this have happened? He’d never put a foot wrong under his father’s gaze.
“We will meet again with the whole team for the Albion Project next week, to discuss the safety precautions and development plans for each department.”
With that, everybody at the table simultaneously stood, wise to have established that was the gesture to leave and get back to work. Adjusting his grey suit gently, pride and confidence demolished, Arthur stupidly glanced over at Valiant who was smugly leaning in towards him.
“…not even leading a team, wow. How far you’ve fallen, maybe your father finally knows what we all do about you. You’re weak, insignificant and-“
“-Arthur a word.” Uther’s voice rang out, clearly aware of the scene before him.
Quickly, Valiant scrambled from the room, leaving Arthur to dwell on his words. Weak. Insignificant. It was a wonder why words sometimes seemed to sting more than any physical injury. Walking towards his father, Arthur sighed. He had nothing to say to his father now. Not after that public humiliation, it seemed clear that Uther was somehow ashamed of his son and his work.
“You look troubled.”
Laughing derisively, Arthur shook his head slowly, eyes dark. He animatedly turned towards his father.
“You just…humiliated me in front of the whole company by placing me u
nder Leon’s department!” another sadistic sound escaped is lips. “Leon’s- really father? I-”
“-Do you not know that everything I do, I do for a reason Arthur?” Uther interjected softly, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. Allowing his fury to wither for a moment, Arthur shook his head.
“What reason would you have to insult my stature in this way father? People are going to talk and know that the rumours of me being (biting his lip he regurgitated the words Valiant had used) weak and insignificant are-“
“Arthur.” Uther said sternly. “I have no doubt in you whatsoever.”
The words filled half the hole that had singed his heart, but the other remained empty. No doubt; there was belief. But no doubt was still a long shot from absolute faith.
“Which is why I’ve give you the most important job on the project.”
Heart racing, Arthur met his father’s eyes curiously. What did he mean? How could he have the most important job when he was working under somebody else’s department? Pursing his lips, the blonde delved into his mind, trying to solve this riddle. He was unsuccessful.
“I…I don’t understand.” He said simply, confusion etching onto his face.
Turning away from Arthur, Uther paced around the room slowly.
“I’ve led Leon to believe that his colleagues Gwaine and Lancelot are to be collecting information about the land, and eventually befriending the druids to convince them that we come in peace so to speak. The reality is this,” pause. Uther spun back to his son, walking towards him urgently.
