Dedicated to my friend Reen who requested this, please look watt , her username's IAmRainLumina . It'd mean a lot.
Arthur had just become king, and as soon as he did he declared the rule of a king not being able to wed a maid no more. He went to ask for Gwen's hand the very moment afterwards in front of the whole kingdom, and she gladly accepted, not being able to contain the joy from showing on her face. They had gotten married a week later, wanting to rush into it but wanting to have a few days to plan as well. Yet like all married couples, they would face there, lets just say, hardships.
"So how's it been going with you and Gwen?" Merlin asked as he made Arthur's bed.
"Smoothly, what about you? Found anyone to your liking?" Arthur leaned against the wall, still tired from the battle he had had the night before.
"Not really, is your father still taking the marriage poorly?" Merlin patted out the wrinkled in the covers.
"Yes, he still thinks I need to find, 'a true queen worthy of me'." Arthur looked at the ground bored.
"Oh." Merlin fluffed the pillows.
"Is it just me or have things been rather boring lately?"
"A bit, yes."
"Gosh Merlin, why are you acting so proper? It's getting pretty damn annoying!"
"Oh well excuse me for having manners!"
"What's that suppose to mean?!"
"Oh I don't know, I make your bed every day, I carry your supplies around everyday, I clean your room everyday, it seems like I'm still pretty much doing everything for you everyday and you're not even taking anything I do into consideration,. And frankly you marrying Guinevere hasn't really helped!"
"Oh this again! Come on Merlin, stop throwing so many hissy fits! And how in the world is my relationship with Gwen making any matters at all worst?!"
"Ever since you two got married it's been more of, 'Merlin do this', 'Merlin do that', 'Merlin get that', 'Merlin put this up', it's much worst than before!"
"Oh well you are my man servant so-"
"I never asked to be your servant!"
Arthur rose an eyebrow. "But, it's a honor-"
"Oh definitely, being spoken to as if I'm a dog is such an honor!"
"Fine, if you don't want to be then you're welcome to-"
"-Quit? Alright, fine, I do quit!" Merlin threw Arthur's pillow on the floor and stormed out. "Don't expect me to come back, Arthur!"
"Don't expect me to want you back, Merlin!" Arthur slammed his door shut.
Gwen saw Merlin speed past her and quickly walked toward her and Arthur's room.
"Arthur?" She said worried.
"What?!" He saw it was Gwen. "Oh, hello."
"What was all that about?"
"Merlin's a complete ass."
"I swear, sometimes I think you two are the married couple."
"What?! That's absolutely ridiculous! Why would you even-"
"Well there's the fact you two fight like an old married couple."
"We do not!"
"I'm only joking-"
"I don't care, that is wrong on too many levels!"
"Alright, alright, sorry, but what did you do to make him behave like an, 'ass'?"
"Me?!" Gwen crossed her arms and waited for a suitable answer. "Alright, fine, I guess I've been a bit tough on him lately-" Gwen sat up straighter. "-okay more than a bit, but still, he acts like being my servant is something that requires no work whatsoever-"
"Does he?"
"Yes!"
"Arthur, he's been taking your commands for five years, perhaps he needs a break."
"Well he has one, and a long one at that."
"What do you mean?"
"I fired him."
"What?!"
"Now that I'm king I have plenty of other servants, it's not as though he's better than any of them."
"But he's your friend!"
"Servant," Arthur corrected as he stood in front of her. "Not friend."
"You are being cruel!" Gwen argued.
"There is just no dealing with you, is there?!"
"No dealing with me? You're the one who's-"
"That's enough! I am going to attend my duties!" Arthur exited the room angry.
"Arthur!" Gwen sighed frustrated. "I swear, sometimes I can't stand that man."
Arthur climbed onto his horse and made it gallop out of the village and began just having it gallop around there, not wanting to stray from the village but not wanting to stay still. Finally he stopped the horse and got off, pacing around.
"Only our first month of marriage and we've already had our first argument!" He felt his jaw clench. "And Merlin, he is the most annoying, difficult, outrageous man and servant- ex-servant, who has ever lived!" The horse blinked, a foot-long strand of grass hanging out of the corner of his mouth. "I mean really, all he does is complain, complain, complain! I hate complainers!" The horse flicked its tail. "What?! I don't complain!" The horse chewed on the grass a bit more. "Oh, shut it."
"First you marry a maid then you talk to a horse." Arthur turned around and saw his father. "Have you gone mad?"
"Hello to you too father."
"Arthur, I don't like-"
"Is there anything I do you approve of anymore, father?"
"Actually, no, no there's not. Anyways, as I was saying before you interrupted me, I don't like how you're letting magic become more welcome in my kingdom."
"You mean my kingdom, father, and besides, only friendly beings with magic, such as Merlin, are being let in."
"Friendly? You think the cause of your mother's and my wife's death is friendly?"
"You were the one who asked for the spell, father, not me! No one knew that would kill her!"
"How dare you blame that on me? Disrespectful-"
"I will not be talked to the way you're speaking to me, father!" Arthur got on top of his horse. "I recommend you stop treating me like a criminal in such a disappointed tone." Arthur rode his horse back to the castle then went up to his room.
"Oh, hello dear, I was thinking we could-" Gwen started.
"I am going to bed."
"But it's not even six yet, it's about four-"
"I know that."
Gwen frowned but kept a calm voice. "Very well, goodnight." She left the room quietly.
Gwen went to chat with Merlin, angered by how Arthur suddenly thought he had the worst problems in the world.
Worst problems, as if. He didn't have his father framed and killed, he's a king for crying out loud! He thinks he has problems, bet he doesn't think of the hungry and hurt, no because king Arthur is absolutely someone that deserves sympathetic tears! Oh I swear, that man can be so selfish!
Gwen ran into Merlin.
"Sorry." Merlin apologized.
"No no, it was my fault." Merlin began to walk away. "Merlin!" Merlin stopped and looked at her. "Do you think we could perhaps, you know, talk?"
Merlin opened his mouth to make up an excuse, but decided he didn't want to tell a lie to Gwen. "Yeah, of course."
"So, I wanted to talk about, well, frankly I wanted to talk about Arthur."
Merlin kept the sigh from exiting his lips. I knew it. "What about him?"
"Well, you and him had been friends for a while, so may I ask," Merlin nodded, waiting for her question. "Well how exactly did you tolerate him?"
"Well you see tolerating him wasn't exactly a choice, I kind of had to or I would have had my hind thrown into jail."
"Because if you didn't respect him as his servant then his father would decide you needed punishment?"
Pretty much." Oh, and there was the fact it was my, "destiny".
"Oh, I see, well, thank you for the advice-" even though it didn't help. "-and goodbye." Gwen began walking away.
"Gwen," Merlin called out.
Gwen turned around. "Yes?"
Merlin sighed. "Arthur, look he may seem pretty unbearable at times but he's a good friend, and king."
Gwen pondered on what he said then smiled. "Yes Merlin, I know."
Gwen went to go make amends with Arthur, little did she know this was only one small hardship they had gone through, they were going to go through many much harder and much more painful as well as longer hardships that, "destiny", had in store for them.
