For Love, Damn it All!
The Winter King episode 7 starts with Arthur and his men still at Powys. They are waiting for the full moon, three days away, to hold the wedding. So far, King Gorfydd has been nothing but a great host. He even says he is willing to educate Arthur and allows Bishop Bedwin to read Saint Patrick’s letters. Arthur is shocked to see a new side of King Gorfydd. He never pegged him to be a man interested in foreign cultures or tolerant of Christianity.
On the other hand, Derfel makes a stunning discovery when he runs into Ladwys in the garden. Upon Arthur’s request, Derfel was there to pick some medicinal fruit to make an ointment for Lady Guinevere’s horse. Derfel notices Ladwys carries a hand knife that is similar to the one that belonged to his mom. This triggers memories of Gundeleus throwing him in the death pit when he was young. He also starts remembering more about his mom. Gundeleus took Derfel’s mom to be sold as a slave.
We circle back to Arthur as he tries to be kind and thoughtful to his bride-to-be, Princess Ceinwyn. However, he can’t seem to take Lady Guinevere off his mind. He is shaken to his core when Ceinwyn informs him that Lady Guinevere is coming with them to Caer Cadarn. King Gorfydd quickly picks up on the sexual tension between Arthur and Lady Guinevere. Nonetheless, he doesn’t think it will be a problem for his daughter.
Arthur takes note and tries to stay away from Lady Guinevere. He reaches out to Derfel, who comes clean about his past encounters with Gundeeus. Arthur is proud of Derfel’s restraint and asks him to keep it up. He still thinks about the peace and doesn’t want to ruffle feathers. He sends Derfel to the stables to bring Lady Guinevere the ointment for her horse, but she refuses to accept it. She hoped to see Arthur and is angry he sent one of his men instead.
Later, the Princess asks Lady Guinevere if she likes Arthur, but the latter claims not to know Arthur enough to get a sense of him. The Princess admits to liking Arthur and believes her marriage to him might work out in the long run. After all, he is nothing like Gundeleus, whom she was initially promised to.
Concurrently, Bishop Bedwin tells Sansum about Saint Patrick’s letters, and they deduce the Lord is calling King Gorfydd. Bishop Bedwin questions whether it will be a good idea to travel to Ratae and start converting people. He questions whether the King is only tolerant of the Christians to give people hope against the Saxons or he has been called. Either way, they agree to tread lightly.
Meanwhile, Gundeleus and Cawdys start plotting their next step. Gundeleus is angry with King Gorfydd for welcoming Arthur with open arms. Cawdys asks him to play along so they can get what they wish: to marry and become King and Queen of Siluria.
At the same time, King Gorfydd moves to find Lady Guinevere, a husband among Arthur’s men. He argues she will need a husband if she is to go to Caer Cadarn. Lanval, a warrior in Arthur’s group, steps up and starts courting her. Arthur is not too pleased and tries to hide his jealousy, but you know what they say about love being like a cough and can’t be hidden! They end up sneaking into the stables and sharing a passionate kiss. She warns Arthur about betraying Ceiwnyn, saying King Gorfydd will not take it kindly. Arthur asks for her lock of her, and she grants his request.
That same night, Derfel demands to get his mother’s knife back from Lawdys. She is scared to hear he survived Gundeleus’ death pit and surrenders the hand knife to him. In the meantime, King Gorfydd and Gundeleus have a fallout. Gundeleus is mad that his uncle disregards his efforts after all he did. It is then revealed that Gundeleus raided Avalon under King Gorfydd’s orders.
However, he escalated the violence by killing the queen and raping the druidess, and King Gorfydd wishes to cut ties with him; he won’t even let Gundeleus marry Lawdys at Powys.
After being dismissed by his uncle, Gundeleus expresses his anger to Lawdys. She warns him to stay in line since they still have Siluria. She is worried about Derfel, who survived Gundeleus’s death pit. She is scared Derfel will come for his revenge and kill her man. She cautions Gundeleus to avoid Derfel, but he doesn’t listen.
On the other hand, Arthur confides in Bishop Bedwin that he doesn’t love Princess Ceinwyn and they should halt the wedding. Bishop Bedwin reminds him that marriage is about the peace of the kingdom, not love. He tries to convince Arthur to stick to the plan.
It doesn’t take long for Princess Ceinwyn to realise Arthur and Lady Guinevere. She suggests they share him and for Lady Guinevere to become Arthur’s mistress. Lady Guinevere refuses and convinces the Princess to marry Arthur. She promises not to betray her. She then tries to convince Arthur to marry the princess and forget about her.
Their conversation is interrupted by Gundeleus, who tries to kill Derfel and fails. Later, Arthur meets with the Princess and is honest about his feelings. He is prepared to call off the wedding and explain everything to King Gorfydd. The Princess worries that her father will kill Arthur and Lady Guinevere, just like he killed her mom. She asks Arthur to take Lady Guinevere and run away.
Arthur quickly summons his people, alongside Lady Guinevere, and runs away in the middle of the night. The following morning, Arthur and Lady Guinevere get married before they reach Dummonia. Bishop Bedwin is against Arthur’s decision to marry Lady Guinevere and leaves for Ratae.
The episode ends with Gundeleus and King Gorfydd making up. He asks Gundeleus to stay behind as there is more work to be done. Will he make Gundeleus marry Princess Ceinwyn, and how will he exact his revenge on Arthur?
The Episode Review
The heart wants what it wants, and Arthur falls hard for Lady Guinevere. Their relationship was bound to happen, but what will the consequences be? We know King Gorfydd is intelligent, and who knows what his desire for vengeance will make him do? With only three chapters left, we look forward to seeing if Arthur and Lady Guinevere will survive.
They are on their way to Dummonia, but will the people accept Lady Guinevere as Arthur’s wife? Bishop Bedwin is already against her. Don’t forget that some of Owain’s men still have a grudge against Arthur. Lastly, will Merlin understand him?
Next week can’t get here soon enough; we have so many questions!
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