![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Just a drabble to get it up somewhere quick
Inspired by a meme on Plurk with the prompt "cloak" and a compliment to Faith's drabble
When Uther mapped out Arthur’s learning, he put up milestones. Because he has always liked having something to mark his results and Arthur is a Pendragon and would surely end up doing the same (purely an assumption, really – who can truly know). Because Arthur should have something that he can see and touch to mark his growth as prince.
Uther always follows the milestones and when Arthur is eight and prince enough to wear it, he has the Pendragon cloak tailored for Arthur.
During the day, he doesn’t see much of Arthur but on the day the cloak is finished, he keeps an extra eye out because this is the day Arthur will wear the Pendragon cloak for the first time and he wants to see it. Arthur who has grown up all too slowly along with the passage of time after her, Arthur who is the only light he has left, Arthur who at least makes it worth something and he’ll be walking around with the Pendragon cloak and look taller than ever, Uther knows that for certain.
Arthur is great and bright and when he stands before Uther with his head held high and the red falling off his shoulders, Uther can’t not smile at his boy, his son who will be the greatest Prince and the greatest King of all and this is not a wish. No, this is a fact and as clear as the sky outside and Uther will make sure it happens.
And when Uther sees Arthur with the cloak day after day, constantly, and he knows that it’s because of eagerness and excitement that really is not quite fit for a prince, he does not have the heart to tell Arthur to stop it. It is a rare thing, to see Arthur glowing quite as much and the reason why is a constant ache in Uther’s heart that can only truly be soothed by Arthur alone. This soothes it – not the red of the cloak, not the way it billows with Arthur’s steps, not the way Arthur holds himself like a true prince when he walks, not the way Arthur is so proud of being a Pendragon – but the way Arthur gives off a childish glee that is nothing but that of his son.
Doesn’t belong to the prince so it should be hidden away, not shown on lessons or councils, but Uther cannot find it in him to stop it.
When the cloak is ruined and Arthur is devastated he doesn’t expect Arthur to throw it away, but he says nothing about that either. It’s just a cloak, but at the same time so much more than that and he could never take it from Arthur. Not any of it.
Not from his son, Ygraine’s son, and Uther takes every small memory of Arthur with his new cloak and puts it away far, far back with everything he keeps for the days that are most dark.
When Uther mapped out Arthur’s learning, he put up milestones. Because he has always liked having something to mark his results and Arthur is a Pendragon and would surely end up doing the same (purely an assumption, really – who can truly know). Because Arthur should have something that he can see and touch to mark his growth as prince.
Uther always follows the milestones and when Arthur is eight and prince enough to wear it, he has the Pendragon cloak tailored for Arthur.
During the day, he doesn’t see much of Arthur but on the day the cloak is finished, he keeps an extra eye out because this is the day Arthur will wear the Pendragon cloak for the first time and he wants to see it. Arthur who has grown up all too slowly along with the passage of time after her, Arthur who is the only light he has left, Arthur who at least makes it worth something and he’ll be walking around with the Pendragon cloak and look taller than ever, Uther knows that for certain.
Arthur is great and bright and when he stands before Uther with his head held high and the red falling off his shoulders, Uther can’t not smile at his boy, his son who will be the greatest Prince and the greatest King of all and this is not a wish. No, this is a fact and as clear as the sky outside and Uther will make sure it happens.
And when Uther sees Arthur with the cloak day after day, constantly, and he knows that it’s because of eagerness and excitement that really is not quite fit for a prince, he does not have the heart to tell Arthur to stop it. It is a rare thing, to see Arthur glowing quite as much and the reason why is a constant ache in Uther’s heart that can only truly be soothed by Arthur alone. This soothes it – not the red of the cloak, not the way it billows with Arthur’s steps, not the way Arthur holds himself like a true prince when he walks, not the way Arthur is so proud of being a Pendragon – but the way Arthur gives off a childish glee that is nothing but that of his son.
Doesn’t belong to the prince so it should be hidden away, not shown on lessons or councils, but Uther cannot find it in him to stop it.
When the cloak is ruined and Arthur is devastated he doesn’t expect Arthur to throw it away, but he says nothing about that either. It’s just a cloak, but at the same time so much more than that and he could never take it from Arthur. Not any of it.
Not from his son, Ygraine’s son, and Uther takes every small memory of Arthur with his new cloak and puts it away far, far back with everything he keeps for the days that are most dark.