The Arthur-Guinevere twist at the end of The Winter King E7 blew the minds of quite a few people. Moreover, their choice also has some important consequences.
The British historical fiction series is an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s book series, The Warlord Chronicles. It is a retelling of the popular Arthurian legends and stars Iain De Caestecker as Arthur Pendragon.
Episode 6 of the series introduces Guinevere, who is slated to be King Arthur’s future queen. The show has slightly deviated from the books, as Guinevere is the best friend of Ceinwyn, King Gorfydd’s daughter, in the series.
At first, Arthur decides to marry Ceinwyn to unite his kingdom with that of King Gorfydd’s kingdom of Powys. However, his plan takes a backseat when he meets Guinevere. In episode 7, Arthur and Guinevere deal with their repressed feelings for each other.
Guinevere feels she is betraying Ceinwyn by having feelings for Arthur. On the other hand, Bishop Bedwin warns Arthur that breaking his marriage proposal with Ceinwyn could have bad consequences for Britain.
But Arthur and Guinevere are meant to be. Episode 7 ends with Arthur breaking his marriage proposal with Ceinwyn to marry Guinevere.
Arthur Decides to Marry Guinevere Over Ceinwyn
The Winter King episode 7 ends with Arthur breaking his betrothal to Ceinwyn to marry Guinevere instead. Although several people warn him against breaking off the marriage, Arthur listens to his heart.
During this episode, Ceinwyn discovers Arthur and Guinevere’s growing romantic feelings for each other. At first, she suggests that she and Guinevere share Arthur. This way, Arthur would not have to break the marriage, and Britain’s interests would have been protected. At the same time, Arthur would be able to pursue his romantic interests with Guinevere.
However, Arthur does not want to marry Ceinwyn for the sake of it. As a result, he goes against the advice of multiple people and breaks off his betrothal. Despite being heartbroken, Ceinwyn suggests that Arthur runs away with Guinevere. Ceinwyn knew that Guinevere would be in trouble when her father found out about this.
Guinevere and Arthur escape Powys in the dark of the night. The next morning, Arthur proposes to Guinevere. The two get married in the woods. Arthur marrying Guinevere puts her under his protection, so everyone in Dumnonia is now obliged to accept him as queen.
The ending is romantic as the two are madly in love with each other and promise to be with each other. However, Arthur’s move will have dangerous political repercussions, which we’ll see in subsequent episodes.
King Gorfydd Will Seek Revenge on Arthur
Arthur and Gorfydd were off to a rough start. However, the two slowly got along due to their similar outlook about the need for unity ahead of a Saxon invasion. Gorfydd remained in doubt because of Dumnonia’s troubled past with Powys.
Arthur’s proposal of marrying his daughter would have been a major move towards protecting their bond and rebuilding his trust. Dumnonia would have benefitted greatly by having Powys as an ally. They would be able to fight the Saxons more effectively.
Arthur breaking his marriage and running off with Guinevere instead shatters all hopes of a reunion between the kingdoms. At the end of episode 7, Gorfydd meets his sinister nephew, Gundleus. This clearly indicates that he is planning to take revenge on Arthur for his daughter’s heartbreak and humiliation.
What are the consequences of Arthur & Guinevere’s marriage in the books?
The series has deviated from the original Arthurian legends as well as the Warlord Chronicles. So, it is not clear which route the MGM series is going to take.
In the Warlord Chronicles, there’s a time jump after which it is revealed that Guinevere’s marriage to Arthur had led to a massive civil war. After years of warfare, Arthur negotiates for peace with Saxon King Aelle for a while so he can focus on defeating Gorfydd first.
The Arthur Guinevere marriage has been dealt with in various ways, and many works have interpreted it in different ways. Thomas Malory’s book Le Morte d’Arthur is considered the most reliable and defining text in this matter.
As per legends and most accepted literary works, Guinevere is the daughter of Arthur’s father’s friend, King Leodegrance. He suggests Guinevere’s marriage to Arthur to unite their kingdoms.
The character of Gorfydd is not present in these legends. His character is an original creation of Cornwell in The Warlord Chronicles. Moreover, the love triangle between Ceinwyn, Guinevere, and Arthur is a further deviation from Cornwell’s version. It is a creation of The Winter King and only exists in the series.
About The Winter King
The Winter King is a British historical fiction television series based on Bernard Cornwell’s The Warlord Chronicles novels, starring Iain De Caestecker as King Arthur. The series premiered on MGM+ in the United States on 20 August 2023, and on ITVX in the United Kingdom at a later date.
The story is a retelling of the Arthurian legend and takes place in Post-Roman Dark Age Britain, a land where the warlord Arthur has been banished and Merlin has disappeared, Saxons are invading and a child-king sits unprotected on the throne.
We meet a vain and unpopular Lancelot; an ambitious and scheming Guinevere; Merlin, who is a more absent Druid than a mystic magician; and Mordred, who is Uther’s grandson and legitimate heir to the throne. The tale is told by the elderly Saxon-born monk Derfel Cadarn for Igraine, a young queen, long after the death of Arthur.
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