Ygraine de Bois had been dead for a long time now. Decades. Yet, she never lacked for something to do. She tried not to think of what Uther had done; the lives he had destroyed. She remembered when he had been kind, quite like Arthur, really. But those days were long passed. Now, she watches Arthur grow up. Oh, how she adored him. She was not always pleased with his choices and actions, but she was always proud of him. And then: Merlin. The young boy was fiery and bright, with a lively glow and an infectious smile. Ygraine could not help but feel amused and joyful as she watched him insult her son in an effort to stand up for the poor servant Arthur had chosen to pick on that day. She felt something was different about Merlin, and she could tell Arthur did too. She had always been quite magic sensitive, so Arthur being so as well was not a stretch. The full body laugh that escaped her as she watched her husband proclaim Merlin Arthur’s manservant warmed her to her core, and the feeling something was changing wiggled its way into her head.
She was right, of course. Ygraine watched as Arthur changed, becoming something more. And she knew. Oh, she knew. It was all because of Merlin. The adorable, smiling manservant who made luminescent butterflies and defended Arthur against anything that wished him harm. Before she knew it, Merlin had become as much a fixture of her life as Arthur. Ygraine watched, a swooping feeling of excitement in her chest, as Arthur and Merlin’s relationship became something deeper than even that of friendship. Love.
So now, Ygraine watches Arthur carefully and reverently gift Merlin her sigil. Merlin does not know exactly what it means (neither of them do, really), but he cradles it as if it is the most precious thing in the world. Ygraine smiles, and finally allows her soul to pass on.