Hello! This is my very first Merlin fanfic, so please please read and review, but be kind! Thank you! :)

Arthur entered his chambers, closing the door behind him. He unfastened his robe and let it fall to the floor in a heap. He then made his way over to a chair and fell into it, exhausted. Merlin looked up from where he was preparing the Prince's bed.

"Bad meeting, was it?" he said, taking in Arthur's tired form. The prince rubbed his eyes.

"You have no idea," He replied. Merlin made his way over to him. He poured a goblet of water from the pitcher on the table and offered it to Arthur. Arthur accepted it and gulped it down. Merlin pulled up a chair beside him and reached out to squeeze his prince's forearm. Arthur placed the goblet on the table.

"I swear, Merlin, sitting in that room all day is one of the worst tortures imaginable."

"At least you didn't have to spend all day cleaning your room," Merlin teased. When Arthur didn't respond, he frowned. Something was wrong. The prince's face was downcast, his expression one of utter defeat.

"Arthur? Is something wrong?" Merlin asked, moving to grasp Arthur's hand in his own. Arthur lifted his eyes to gaze into those of his manservant. Merlin gazed back, searching. Something was going on behind those eyes, something deeply troubling. His brow furrowed.

Instead of answering his question, Arthur leaned in and pressed his lips to Merlin's. His eyes closed briefly, then he pulled back.

"Some very important visitors will be arriving in Camelot in a few days. King Vladimir of some nearby kingdom will be staying with us. We need to start preparing immediately."

"of course, sire." Merlin couldn't see why this would cause such distress. "Anything else?"

Arthur looked at him, took a deep breath, and said, "He is bringing with him his daughter Arabella."

Merlin waited for more information. None came. "And..." he prompted. Arthur looked down at their intertwined hands. He gave Merlin's hand a small squeeze before he dropped it and lifted himself from his chair. Merlin rose with him, staring at him imploringly. Arthur couldn't bring himself to look his friend in the eye. He moved to the window and stared down into the courtyard, bathed in the glow of sunset.

"My father and King Merek are hoping...my father expects me to marry Arabella." He grimaced as he said the words. He could feel Merlin's eyes on him in the silence that followed this announcement. He didn't have to look to know that Merlin's face wore an expression of hurt and bewilderment.

"Does he." Merlin's tone was tight. Arthur nodded stiffly. "But...you aren't going to marry her, right?"

Arthur turned from the window to face his lover, and from the look on his face, Merlin knew the answer.

"I have to. I don't have a choice this time. My father made it clear to me, when the meeting was over, that I had to marry her. King Vladimir's kingdom is a powerful one, and an alliance is crucial. I have to marry her." There was a short, heavy silence.

"I don't want to marry her. I tried to protest, really I did. You know I would never do this willingly. You know who I would marry, if I had the choice."

Merlin nodded. He did know. He and Arthur had been lovers for over a year now, finally admitting their feelings for each other after many years of words with double meanings and looks that lasted too long. The past year together had been the best year of both of their lives, even though they had to keep their relationship a secret. It had been a year of stolen glances in the throne room, Merlin staying the night in Arthur's chambers, and taking many week-long hunting trips, just the two of them. Few people suspected the true nature of their relationship. They covered their tracks well, fiercely guarding their secret in the fear that Uther would find out and have Merlin destroyed. They had proclaimed their love for one another, in the latest hours of the night, knowing that they could never truly be together. It hurt, but they carried on the affair, content for the time being. Now, the hearts of the prince and the servant were truly breaking.

"I understand, sire," Merlin said numbly. "You have a duty to your people." He was seized with the urge to run from the room, but he stayed put, eyes cast to the floor. Arthur watched him with pained eyes.

"I don't want this, Merlin. You know I don't." Merlin nodded again.

"No, I understand. Now if you'll excuse me, my lord, I have chores..." He trailed off as he turned and fled the prince's chambers. Knowing that Arthur would soon belong to someone else, he couldn't bear to spend another minute in his presence.

Uther, Arthur, and Morgana stood at the head of the throne room, standing tall and looking their best. Merlin stood behind them, staring ahead determinedly. Arthur twisted around to meet his gaze, grimacing briefly to turn back to the front of the room. The doors swung open and two figures appeared in a burst of fanfare.

King Vladimir was a tall man, muscular and firm, clad in chain mail and a dark green robe. His head was adorned with a simple but majestic crown, and he held it high as he strode forward. At his side walked a small, dainty woman who could only be the princess Arabella. Her small, pale face was framed with light brown hair that cascaded gracefully around her shoulders. Her dress was the same dark green as her father's.

"Ah, King Vladimir! How lovely to see you!" Uther put on a warm smile and strode forward to clasped his guest's hand.

"Uther, my friend, it has been far too long," Said Vladimir, returning the smile. "If I may introduce my daughter, Arabella." He gestured towards her and she stepped forward, dropping into a low bow. Uther smiled towards her.

"Yes, we have heard quite a bit about your lovely daughter. If I may do the same, may I introduce my son, Arthur."

Arthur stepped forward and bowed to the princess, taking her extended hand and planting a delicate kiss upon it.

"A pleasure," He said, straightening up, "To be in the presence of such divine beauty."

"The pleasure's all mine." Arabelle smiled sweetly and dropped her hand to her side. Arthur stood straight, doing his very best not to turn and look at Merlin. He had been given strict instructions to be on his best princely behavior, in order to win the princess' heart.

"I have no doubt that you two will become quite close during your stay," Uther smiled towards them. "Arthur, perhaps tomorrow you can give the Lady Arabella a tour of the castle, to become better acquainted with one another."

Arthur nodded. "Of course, father."

"Tonight, there shall be a feast, to welcome our guests, King Vladimir and his lovely daughter Arabella," Uther proclaimed. "Until then please, make yourselves at home here in my castle."

"Thank you, Uther. It was quite a long journey here and I think my daughter and I would like to rest before tonight's festivities," Said Vladimir.

"If I may escort Lady Arabella to her chambers," Said Arthur, extending his arm. Arabella hesitated before shyly taking it.

"Of course, thank you." The two shot looks at their fathers, who nodded in approval. Then the two walked from down the room and out the doors. Behind them, Merlin stared, fighting hard against the tears that were threatening to burst forth.

That evening, Arthur and Arabella sat side by side at the welcoming feast. Arthur kept up a stream of light conversation with the princess, shooting glances around the room, at his father, at King Vladimir, at Merlin. His servant stood resolutely by the wall with a pitcher of wine, eyeing the two with a masked expression. Arthur did his best to avoid his eye, but Merlin always caught it. They would look at each other for a few moments, only for the prince to grimace and turn his eyes away. If Arabella noticed, she did not acknowledge it. She seemed to be glancing nervously at her father, where he was chatting merrily with Uther beside her.

Arthur spoke lightly with her, and was relieved to find she like to talk rather than listen. He was not feeling up to courting her this night, and was glad to pretend to listen to her describe her castle in her kingdom. The conversation was going well until they hit a lull in which neither Arthur nor Arabella could think of anything to say. They lapsed into an awkward silence, fidgeting in their seats.

"More wine?" said Arthur, noticing that her goblet was nearly empty. She nodded and he gestured to Merlin, motioning to fill her goblet. He reached the pitcher in between the prince and the princess. Arthur looked down at the table, not trusting himself to be in such proximity while Arabella was present. As Merlin withdrew his arm, Arabella looked up and thanked him. Arthur looked up too.

"Thank you, Merlin." Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before Merlin cast his eyes to the floor.

"Sire." Merlin walked back to his place against the wall, keeping his eyes down. Arthur watched him go, wishing he could reach out and remind him that courting Arabella wasn't his idea. Arabella noticed Arthur watching his manservant, and suspicion and realization flickered on her face.

"He seems like a good servant, Merlin," She said, nodding to the boy.

"Yes," Arthur agreed. "Although I wouldn't say he was the best. He's clumsy and forgetful, but he gets the job done."

"They say you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his servants. I can tell you care for Merlin very much."

Arthur started. Did she know? "Yes, he has been a good friend to me over the years." His gaze moved to his plate, not wanting to meet the gaze of Arabella in fear that she would read the truth in his eyes. The princess only nodded and moved the conversation to other things. And so the night went on, making polite conversation and both avoiding the fact that they both knew how much the prince truly did care for his servant.

The next morning found Arthur and Arabella strolling through the halls of the castle, side by side. Arabella listened with rapt attention as Arthur explained to her the different corners of the building, telling her facts about the history and their purpose. They spoke politely to each other. As he walked, Arthur was doing his best not to let his thoughts stray to Merlin. He had ordered his servant to muck out the stables for the day, so that he would be able to talk to Arabella without being distracted. It wasn't proving very effective.

As the young royals were walking past the armory, they saw their fathers approaching. Both put on identical fake smiles and leaned closer to each other.

"Getting on well, I hope?" asked Uther.

"Yes father, I was just showing Arabella around the castle. I was just about to show her to the land beyond, perhaps show her some of the woods or the lake, show her the beauty of Camelot," Arthur said. Uther smiled his approval.

"Just don't stay out too long. I hope you have a good time." Vladimir smiled to his daughter, who smiled lovingly.

"Of course, father."

The two kings smiled, nodded, and continued on their way. The minute they were out of sight, the prince and the princess dropped their smiles instantly. For a moment they avoided each others eye, then Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Shall we?" He gestured to a pair of horses set up for the two of them. Arabella nodded.

Arthur climbed up onto his horse after helping Arabella onto hers. The two galloped from the city gates and into the woods.

They rode in silence, Arthur leading the way. The sunlight fell in shafts through the leaves, pooling on ground. The entire woods was bathed in green and gold, and the birds were chirping merrily, unseen from their nests in the branches.

They stopped and dismounted when they reached the shores of a lake. The water stretched out before them, glittering in the afternoon sunlight. The two royals left their horses and sat down in the grass. They sat in silence, looking out over the lake.

"It is beautiful here," Arabella said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "All of Camelot, it is holds far more charm than my kingdom. You must be very happy here."

"I am," Arthur nodded. "Though I'm sure your kingdom must be beautiful, if you are in it." The compliment fell flat, and both knew it.

"You're flattering me," Said Arabella. Arthur said nothing, staring out across the lake to the rolling green hills beyond. After another short silence, Arabella spoke again.

"Our fathers expect for us to marry." It wasn't a question. She did not sound hopeful or angered or annoyed. It was just a statement of facts. Arthur started at this statement and looked at her. She was looking down at her lap, playing with the hem of her sleeve.

"Yes, they do." He could think of nothing else to say.

"It would bring peace and unity to our kingdoms, would it not?" Arthur nodded.

"It would."

"But we do not love each other." She looked up at him. "You seem like a kind man, brave and caring, and you would do anything for your people. But I do not love you, and you do not love me."

Arthur gaped at her, wondering where she was going with this. "No," He said. "I do not." The princess nodded.

"I believe that marriage should only be for love. People should be able to marry whomever they wish, not who their fathers choose. It must be hard, then, for you to marry me when you love someone else."

Arthur's eyes widened. "What- I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your manservant, Merlin," she said, with a knowing look in her eye. "At the feast last night. I saw how you two looked at each other. You love him more than anything, I can tell, and he feels the same way. Anyone with eyes could see that."

Arthur stared at her, for once at a loss for words.

"I understand," She continued. "You're a prince, he's just a servant, and to top it off, he's a man. Under no circumstances could you two be together. It's heartbreaking. I'm right, aren't I?"

Arthur could tell that there was no sense in protesting. He nodded.

"I'm in a similar situation. A stable boy, back in my kingdom. His name is William. I love him with all my heart, but my father can never know. I'm a princess and he's just a stable boy. It could never be." She paused and looked down again, trying to hide the heartbreak on her face.

"It's true. I have been in love with my manservant for a year now, and we've been keeping it secret. If my father were to find out he would have him hanged. It isn't fair. Sometimes I wish I weren't a prince just so that I could be with him, and not have to hide it from the people." Arthur had never confessed that to anyone, not even to Merlin.

"I feel the same. If it weren't for those wretched laws I would be able to be with William. But I can't. We were nearly caught, once, by one of our knights. He was a good man and we convinced him not to tell, but if it had been anyone else word would have reached my father and William would have been executed. It isn't fair."

The two lapsed into an unhappy silence, both fighting back tears as they thought of their forbidden loves. Finally, Arabella spoke again.

"But it doesn't matter. The laws say that royals can only marry royals. And it is true that a marriage between us would unite our kingdoms and bring peace. So I have a proposal, Arthur Pendragon."

Arthur looked up to see her staring at him with intensity, her voice full of determination. "What is that?"

"We get married. I will be your queen. We will unite our kingdoms, and our people and our fathers will be happy."

"But you just said marriage should be for love," Arthur said.

"Let me finish. We get married, and only pretend to be in love. We put on a show for our fathers, and carry on with our relationships with our true loves behind closed doors. In the eyes of the people we will be the perfect King and Queen, but when they aren't looking we can be with those who we truly love, you your servant and I my stable boy. Nobody need know."

Arabella watched him as Arthur considered this new possibility. They way she was saying it, it sounded entirely plausible. He and Merlin had managed to keep their relationship a secret this whole time. If Arabella knew and was okay with it, what was the harm? She had her own love as well, she understood what Arthur was going through. They could unite their kingdoms and have their loves as well. It sounded too good to be true.

"We could be friends," Arabella said. "I like you, Arthur. We would put on a show for the people, but in reality we would be nothing more than friends."

"Our fathers would be pleased..." Arthur said, thinking. Uther would be overjoyed to see his son willingly accept this marriage, as would King Vladimir, no doubt. He shifted uncomfortably as new thought struck the prince.

"But what about an heir?" Arthur asked. "We will be expected to produce an heir to the throne. How are we to do that if we do not truly love each other?"

Arabella was silent for a moment. "We could try," She said quietly. "Just once, we could try to produce a child."

"No," Arthur said. "Lying about marrying you is one thing, but a child is too far. I will not have a child with somebody I do not love."

"But you cannot have a child with the one you truly love," Arabella pointed out.

"Even so, I cannot accept that. I can marry you but I cannot have a child with you," The prince said with an air of finality.

"Fine!" said the princess. "We don't have to, it was merely a suggestion! William looks almost like you, his child could easily pass for yours, could you pretend to be the father?"

Arthur pondered this. He supposed, if the child wasn't really his, then maybe...

"You do want to be with Merlin, don't you?" Arabella said. "I'm giving you a chance that perhaps you will never get again. I would give you your space and you would give me mine, to be with our lovers. I'm not sure any other bride would give you this offer. An heir is something we can discuss some other time. So what do you say? Will you accept this proposal?" She looked at him hopefully. Arthur stared at her, mind racing. This could be his chance. His one chance to be with Merlin, his true love, and please his father at the same time. Nobody else would offer this, she was right.

"Yes," He said. "I accept."

Both of their faces split into grins of true happiness. Arabella shouted with glee and threw her arms around his neck.

"You see, this is wonderful! We will be with our true loves!" She pulled back and jumped to her feet, pulling Arthur up with her.

"Shall we ride back to Camelot and give our fathers the good news?" Arthur said. She nodded.

"Yes, let's!"

They mounted their horses and rode back to the city, both feeling happier than they had in a long time.