Board Thread:What If?/@comment-5674726-20140906160658/@comment-5674726-20140922190255

Some good ideas here.

I'd say that Uther could name Morgana his heir sooner rather than later. He would have the option of doing so without acknowledging her as his daughter, not to mention the option of reinstating Arthur at a later date once he came to his senses. If he was angry or if he wanted to send a very clear signal to Arthur that he wasn't going to let him force his hand - both of which seem very likely - he would want to let him know that he didn't hold all of the cards. I can't see him wanting Arthur to think that, if he defied him and ran off with Guinevere, Uther would have no choice but to accept the idea of a commoner daughter-in-law who would eventually wear Ygraine's crown. Naming Morgana as heir would be a way of signalling to Arthur that he has other options available to him, which puts the ball in Arthur's court. If he ditches Guinevere and returns unmarried, he can be reinstated as Crown Prince. If not, Uther finds another head to wear the crown when he is gone.

One interesting aspect is that Morgana would be in a position where she couldn't kill Uther in the near future, as her chances of holding the throne would increase with every year he lived on after naming her his heir. If he died shortly after Arthur left, then even if it couldn't be traced to her, it is very likely that Arthur would come back to claim the crown and would have majority support. On the other hand, if Uther lives a good eight to ten years afterwards, with Arthur in exile and Morgana playing the part of the loving daughter/ward and dutiful heir, she would have a chance to win support for herself as the heir who puts the needs of the kingdom first versus Arthur, the irresponsible brat who abandoned the kingdom because his father wouldn't indulge him in his foolish desire to make a wholly unsuitable marriage.

Arthur would get little sympathy for leaving as the idea of a prince marrying for love would be an alien one to his contemporaries. A prince forsaking his duty to the kingdom to marry a servant would be nothing short of scandalous and, if he is away for a long time, he could find himself resented by the majority of the people, who wouldn't like to see him walk out on them and then try to waltz back in to claim the crown when it suits him.

Arthur and Gwen would have to leave the kingdom so I could see them ending up in Ealdor. Morgause would probably keep an eye on them via her crystal but could stay her hand if he is not plotting to seize the throne from Uther. If they ended up going to live on Agravaine's estate, Agravaine's creepy obsession with Morgana could lead to him keeping her up to date on Arthur's doings.

Not having all the facts could cost Arthur as he could end up believing that his father would relent, if only to ensure the continuation of the Pendragon bloodline on the throne of Camelot. However, as it is, if Morgana consents to an arranged marriage - which would have the dual advantages of winning "good heir/daughter" points and gaining powerful in-laws who will take it amiss if Arthur tries to claim the throne in the future - she can give Uther grandchildren. Even without acknowledging her as his daughter, he can reasonably ask her to adopt the Pendragon name if she is to be his heir so his name and his bloodline can continue.

For Morgana, if she spends a decade playing the part of a loving daughter, she could find that it ends up being less of a pretence that she thought it would be. Even with extenuating circumstances, Uther choosing her over Arthur will be a huge deal to her and could very well end up softening her view of him.

The idea of Merlin urging Arthur to forsake Gwen to return to Camelot isn't one I considered but it's an intriguing idea. Given that Uther (a) potentially has many years left, and (b) is bound to insist on a diplomatic marriage for Arthur as soon as he returns rather than taking any chance that he will try to stay single until he is King and can marry Gwen, would Merlin try to get Arthur to forget the idea of marrying Gwen so he can be King or would he keep trying to find a way to have Arthur as King and Gwen as his Queen?

Morgana being a good Queen would make things trickier for Merlin and for Arthur. It's one thing to overthrow a tyrant whose people are suffering under her rule but another to try to seize the throne from a popular and successful monarch.