Arthur Pendragon

Captain Arthur Pendragon is one of the main protagonists of the Loaded March series. He is the leader and Commanding Officer of Excalibur. 
His pendant shows a shield, although he is protected against magic by his Excalibur Tattoo which bonds him to Merlin directly. The exact abilities of what Arthur can do through the bond are as of yet (Collaborations) unknown.
==Personality==
Arthur is a sharp and highly intelligent man, who is able to pull together ideas and come to a conclusion incredibly quickly. He also has a tendency to obsessively plan every little detail, and it is stated early on that he has contingency plans for contingency plans.
He cares greatly for his team, and takes his role incredibly seriously.  He does not pursue a relationship with Merlin for a long time because of his respect for his rank, and his unwillingness for Merlin to feel any obligation towards Arthur as his superior. However, in Collaborations, it becomes painfully clear that Arthur appeares almost unapproachable to some other memembers of the team. It also highlights Arthur's tight self-control, as Lance describes it as the first time the team has seen Arthur break down - although Merlin has already witnessed a similar event in private.
His best friend Leon is said to be the only one to successfully weather the "Pendragon Temper" - other than Merlin.
Arthur is highly protective of those close to him and of Merlin especially. However, he does not let this interfere with his need to protect his team, too. This is (somewhat painfully) shown in Collaborations, when he knows that a tactical retreat is the best option and orders for it, despite Merlin only being a (potentially magically) locked door away.  He is also shown to be very protective of Morgana, and to a lesser extent Gwen, when it is revealed that they, too, have been kidnapped in Desperate Measures.
Arthur also occasionally comes across as arrogant, and quite simply, a prat. Merlin refers to him as 'Captain Prat' frequently, and Arthur plays up this side of his personality while undercover for the Directory. In Groundwork, Merlin notices that Arthur hates the taste of toothpaste. 
==History==
Arthur has no contact to relatives on his mother's side. His maternal grandparents died in a plane crash when he was 10. In the later parts (Desperate Measures and Collaborations), we learn that the Dubois family is of old money and Arthur inherited quite a bit of money from his mother - and a summer home in Paris that his father is unaware of and which is utilised as a safe house.
His (maternal) uncle Tristan, who fought in the war with Uther, disappeared and went MIA. Arthur also briefly mentions clothes that might have once belonged to his "aunts" (Desperate Measures), hinting at the fact that Ygraine had sisters.
The paternal side of his family has a reputation for being "against magic" - or at least for fighting "for Queen and Country against evil" in the eyes of Solomon Bayard (cf. The Jester).
==Genealogy==
It has been hinted that he is related to King Arthur through his mother's side or, as Arthur puts it, "[t]he Dubois family was old money, the sort that was tied back to Merovigian royalty (...)." 
 
==Relationships==
Despite the fact that both Arthur and Merlin have lust at first sight, Arthur's relationship with Merlin Emrys begins somewhat roughly though this gradually gives way as they learn to respect one another and slowly give in to their mutual attraction, which eventually become obvious to everyone except for each other. However, they initially don't act on their feelings because of the rule against fraternizing with a superior officer, and their uncertainty of one another's feelings. Nonetheless, this didn't prevent Arthur from acting jealously towards Merlin, as he was especially annoyed when Will hugged Merlin during War Games, and when Gwaine kissed Merlin in Intermission. The two eventually kiss when Merlin gives Arthur CPR in Avalon. During Intermission, Merlin willingly confesses to Arthur that he has magic, basically telling Arthur that he loves him; Arthur answers back by kissing him. Merlin reveals to Arthur during The Play's the Thing that he'd inadvertantly bonded them, and that they were therefore engaged, although Arthur claimed that he had still proposed. Arthur married Merlin at the start of Means to an End in an impromptu hand fasting which Gaius presided over. They did not share this information - or the fact that they were even engaged in the first place - because Arthur felt that Morgana Pendragon would kill him if he married before she did. After their 'wedding', Arthur is seen frequently wishing for Leon Cross to hurry up and propose. During Collaborations, Arthur accidentally calls Merlin his husband in an argument with Gwaine, leading Lance and Gwen both to realise the truth.
Arthur's father is Colonel Uther Pendragon, and his mother, Ygraine Pendragon, neé Dubois, died when he was a baby. Arthur has a strained relationship with Uther, which just gets worse as the story progesses. Uther retired from the army after Arthur was four. 
He has an adoptive sister named Morgana Pendragon, who is engaged to his best friend, Leon Cross.
Arthur had a romantic relationship with Gwaine in high school, but both agreed that they were better as friends.
Arthur once had something with a man named Padraig. 
==Trivia==
Arthur attended a three week course at the European Martial Arts Academy in Germany the summer before his first year of uni. Upon completion of the course, Uther sent him to a Fayre to fight, and unsurprisingly, Arthur won the tournament.
Arthur has passable skills in Karate, Kung Fu, Aikido, Thai Boxing, savate, capoeira, kendo and probably some other martial arts because Arthur is pretty BA.
He speaks German - or is at least knows enough to be able to read a German newspaper (cf. First Contact).
Over the radio, he is called Knight-1.
He owns a lake house (aka "the cottage" or "the cabin") where a. the team goes to practice magic with Merlin (cf. Groundwork) b. Kay likes to take a sauna in (cf. Extra "No such thing as peace and quiet") and c. hypothetically speaking, in case of a Magical Armaggedon, the team's loved ones could hide. But that's, like, a crazy thing that would never happen. Magical Armaggedon. Ha ha ... ha. *laughs* *cries*
At the end of LM, he is promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel.
==Quotes==
"I don't care. I'm not afraid. Not of you. Never of you. I've been waiting for you to tell me. For you to trust me, Merlin. I won't let anything happen to you. We won't. There's no way we'll let them have you, not the Directory, not the NWO, not anyone, because you're ours. You're mine, Merlin. Mine. I'm not letting anyone else have you. Not now. Not ever." - Arthur to Merlin/Intermission
"It's killing me. But I can't. Not now. There are rules. I'm your Captain. It's the end of us if we're found out, if we get caught. We have to wait. Just a while. Can you wait, Merlin? Because I can. I'd wait forever for you." - Arthur to Merlin/Intermission
"You're none of you fit to judge whether I'm worthy," Arthur said, his voice a low, threatening thrum. - Arthur to Tristan and Bryn/ The Play's the Thing
“My husband is in there -- and you’re mad if you think I’m not climbing the bloody walls. I’m near enough to going in there myself --” - Arthur to Team Excalibur/Collaborations
"What the fuck is wrong with you, I'm everyone's type." - Arthur to Gwaine/Radioman
Category:Characters
Category:Team Excalibur