Merlin was definitely a case of "it's not what you know, but who you know." He had some seriously powerful connections. Not only was he best friends with Prince Arthur, but he was also the ward and apprentice of the Royal Physician, and good friends with the princess's personal maid. (Gaius is Merlin's adoptive father. That's because of a letter Hunith sent to Gaius, asking him to become Merlin's guardian, which Gaius agreed to. It's a bit strange for a guy almost twenty years old to need a guardian, but that's the way it is.)
With connections like that, getting things done was easy. Merlin went straight to Arthur, hoping he could arrange for his mother to have an audience with King Uther. After hearing the whole story, the young and brash Arthur didn't think twice. He immediately took Merlin's mother to see King Uther.
And that's how this scene unfolded: a common woman with no title, who had been in Camelot for less than an hour, was standing right in the King's main hall.
"The winters in Eldor are very difficult, and we have many children who are already in critical condition. We have practically nothing left to eat." You have to give credit to Lady Hunith; she was a remarkably composed woman. Even though she had zero experience with court protocol, she managed to state her identity, her reason for being there, and her request clearly and calmly, all while speaking with a choked, sorrowful voice.
"If Caanan takes our harvest, our children will starve."
The lady clearly knew how to tug on the heartstrings. She didn't focus on the struggles of the adults; she spoke only of the children, which is much more effective, as people naturally feel sympathy and protectiveness toward kids.
"Please, Your Majesty, we desperately need your help!"
Sure enough, Hunith's plea softened the hearts of most people in the hall. Princess Morgana, in particular, was so emotional that she was already tearing up, wanting nothing more than to immediately grant Hunith's request on Uther's behalf.
However, King Uther, seated on his throne, remained expressionless.
After waiting for Hunith to finish her statement, King Uther finally spoke.
"Eldor is the territory of the Kingdom of Cendred. King Odyn is responsible for your safety." The implication of this statement was clear: Hunith was knocking on the wrong door. Uther was the King of Camelot, and he couldn't intervene in the affairs of the Kingdom of Cendred.
Hunith understood Uther's meaning right away, so she quickly responded, "We did ask our King for help, but... he doesn't care about a remote area like ours. You are our only hope."
Hunith looked at Uther with anticipation, hoping he would agree to help them.
Uther clenched his fist, but ultimately, logic won out.
"You have my deepest sympathy, and I truly wish those barbaric, evil people would be completely wiped from this world."
The crash from hope to utter disappointment is something no person can handle easily, and Hunith was no exception. The fate of the entire village of Eldor rested on this moment.
"Then you will help us, won't you?" This was her absolute last shred of hope.
Uther lowered his head, closed his eyes tightly, and then, with a heart of stone, said, "I wish I could."
Arthur, standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer. He immediately interjected, "Of course we can! We can send soldiers over there! We have more than enough men."
"That's not the issue, we're not short on soldiers."
Morgana, standing below the throne platform, couldn't help but speak up either. "Then what is the issue?"
While Morgana's relationship with Uther had improved somewhat, this kind-hearted girl still often failed to understand the King. In her view, they were being asked to do a good deed, so what problem could there possibly be?
Kai, unfortunately, could only shake his head at Morgana's question. It was the same problem as before: neither Morgana nor Arthur was viewing the situation from the necessary high-level perspective.
King Uther felt the same way. He was a bit disappointed in Arthur and Morgana's reaction. It wasn't like he was truly heartless; did they think he enjoyed seeing people suffer? No one does. But things were never that simple, and yet no one seemed to consider the bigger picture. Dealing with his two children always left him feeling utterly exhausted.
Seeing Uther close his eyes, unwilling to speak, Kai had to step forward and explain the facts to the brother and sister.
"Eldor is outside the boundaries of the Astdir Ridge; that land belongs to Cendred. The moment we, Camelot, send troops there, it means war. No country will allow another country's army to step foot on its soil without permission."
Hearing this, Hunith couldn't take it anymore. She fell to her knees, pleading with Uther in the most devout and humble posture: "I know you are a good King, a merciful man. I beg you, please, help me!"
Faced with such a desperate plea, Uther couldn't remain entirely indifferent, but he was the King, and he had to think with a King's mindset.
"It took me many years to reach an understanding with King Odyn of Cendred, bringing peace to our two nations. I cannot jeopardize that peace and send tens of thousands of soldiers pointlessly back into battle for the sake of a tiny village with fewer than a hundred people. More people would die that way. I am very sorry, but I'm afraid Camelot cannot help."
Faced with this answer, the strong woman, Hunith, finally broke down and cried. This made Morgana furious. She still believed Uther was too cold-blooded. Seeing the anger in Morgana's eyes, both Kai and Uther felt a headache coming on.
Morgana walked over and helped the weeping Hunith stand up, then shot a look of even deeper resentment toward Kai. She thought her fiancé was becoming just as cold and detestable as her stepfather. Merlin, standing nearby, looked equally disappointed, his disillusionment practically spilling out of his eyes.
Kai shook his head and finally spoke.
"Morgana... the situation isn't as simple as you think. It's not that His Majesty and I don't want to help, it's that..."
Unfortunately, Morgana was too worked up to listen to Kai's explanation. She immediately cut him off: "It's what, Kai? What on earth allows you to stand by and ignore their suffering? You're not yourself anymore—you've changed!"
As she said this, Morgana's eyes constantly darted toward Uther, who was leaning on his hand. Her meaning was clear: she thought Uther had corrupted Kai.
Kai felt both annoyed and amused.
"Alright then, how do you propose we help them?" Kai said, conceding with a sigh.
Hearing this, a flash of pride crossed Morgana's eyes. She enjoyed seeing Kai compromise because of her, believing it was proof of his love. Like most young women, she assumed that the only way for a loved one to show affection was through giving in to her wishes, even if the idea was truly immature.
"We send in the troops! We only want to drive out the bandits. We aren't interested in his territory. I think Cendred will thank us, after all, we'd be helping him drive out robbers and protect his citizens."
"..." Kai shook his head, looking slightly speechless, and Uther was doing the same thing. "That's the best idea you could come up with? Eldor pays taxes and allegiance to Cendred, and you want Camelot to swoop in and provide their security? And do this on Cendred's own soil?"
Morgana didn't see the problem and started to argue, but Kai didn't give her the chance.
"Fine, let's say none of that matters. After all, they're just bandits, and dealing with them isn't that hard. Let's ignore Camelot's expenditure, the casualties our soldiers might suffer, and all those other issues. But will King Odyn of Cendred actually be grateful? Morgana, you're a smart girl. Think about it carefully. If soldiers from another country suddenly crossed your borders and engaged in a battle without your permission, how would you feel? It's like if your child misbehaved, and without your consent, your neighbor suddenly barged into your house, gave your child a spanking right in front of you as a form of 'discipline,' and then left!"
"What's worse is that no matter what King Odyn truly thinks of the situation, he would be forced to take the strongest possible stance. Otherwise, his own subjects would doubt his ability to protect them. At that point, regardless of our good intentions, war would become unavoidable. Because if he doesn't react strongly, his time as King is over. And that would lead to far greater casualties, both for Camelot and Cendred."
The issue of national sovereignty is one that no normal country, in any era or place, can be vague about. No country can endure that kind of humiliation; it's often harder to accept than a direct invasion.
"Kindness can't be reckless, Morgana. That kind of thinking doesn't lead to good results."