[1]

"He can't marry." Merlin's voice was edged with panic. "Because - because he's in love with me." In utmost frenzy, Merlin threw an arm around Arthur's broad shoulders, raising himself on his tip toes to reach around.

Arthur's mouth dropped, eyes going wide. "Wait, no-"

"And I'm in love with him," Merlin said, in a rush of words. "We are so very in love." He grinned awkwardly. There was complete silence in the bedroom quarters. Uther Pendragon just stared at the two of them, eyes lined with intensity, jaw stiff. Slowly, his eyes moved from staring at Merlin's arm around Arthur, and landed on his son's baffled face.

"Is this true?" his voice was cold.

Arthur just stared at him, then glared at Merlin, then back at his father. This was not going according to his plan. There was no way he was going to say he was in in love with Merlin. There were many things wrong with the idea: Merlin was a servant. Merlin was a boy. Merlin was Merlin. And Arthur wasn't gay. At all. This was not happening. He was about to vehemently deny it all, when Merlin pinched the back of his skin, and hissed into the curve of his ear: "Just go with it. It'll buy us time."

Arthur wanted to snap: "Oh, really? Will it really?" Because all he saw was another disaster headed his way. But Merlin also had the rare, strange tendency to be correct in dilemmas. Swallowing, Arthur forced himself to lock his fingers with Merlin's hand, blinking as he felt the cold palm slide against his own.

"I'm experimenting," Arthur finally said.

Uther just stared. And stared. "You're experimenting with the servant boy."

"I'm young," Arthur said, as if that explained everything. "I'm just trying new things out."

"I want him executed."

"Father!" Arthur said, desperately. "Just let me have fun for awhile. You know, a couple of months. Then I'll be ready to settle down, once I've got it all out of my system. I'll be ready for a proper princess."

Uther frowned deeply. "You're saying this is just a phase?"

"Kind of?" Arthur said. Merlin finally had the nerve to speak up again. He cheerfully said: "Arthur knows nothing about sex. And dating. If he practices courting me, then he'll know what he's doing with a princess."

"I do know a thing or two," Arthur said, offended.

"He's inexperienced," Merlin said. "You wouldn't want him going around trying to court girls and making a fool of himself, would you? Let him practice with me."

Arthur swore he was going to fire Merlin as soon as this was all over. He could feel blood rushing to his cheeks, and he stared at the ground, so embarrassed he could hardly think straight. He didn't think his father would buy any of this, not for a minute, but then Uther hummed to himself.

"You know, it's not a terrible idea. You can be quite brash. If you can't woo royal princesses, it would look bad on Camelot. Although I don't know why you chose him over a pretty serving girl."

Arthur could hardly believe his ears. He swallowed hard, still unable to meet Uther's eyes. Sun came in through the window and he wished it would burn him alive. Uther took a few steps toward him, and gave him a firm look. "Arthur," he said, voice tinged with threat. "I want whatever this is -" He waved his hands in disgust at Merlin. "Done in a month. Practice whatever you need to practice. Experiment all you want. But I will hold a courting ceremony thirty days from now."

Arthur finally met his father's eyes, wanting to protest. But he saw the final decision written in Uther's face. All Merlin had done was buy them time.

"Okay," he said, voice coming out hoarse.

"I don't care about your love life," Uther said. "I care about the kingdom."

"I know."

"This is temporary," Uther said. "You will marry a royal princess."

"I know."

Uther nodded. "Okay. That is all. I will see you in the evening. We have some important matters to discuss."

Arthur cleared his throat. "Yes, father." He waited, fingers itching, as Uther gave them one last look, before heading for the door. The moment the chamber doors closed, Arthur immediately snatched his hand away, as if it was on fire. He stared at Merlin. Merlin stared back. Arthur grabbed the nearest object, and threw it.

Merlin ducked, yelping. "What was that for?"

"We're in bloody love? That was the best you could come up with?"

Merlin shrugged. "No one would question it! I'm very loyal."

"We're not in love," Arthur said. "I don't have a thing for blokes."

"You think I do?" Merlin shot back.

Arthur paused, mid-anger, and looked at Merlin thoughtfully. "You are kind of fairy looking. Dainty."

This time it was Merlin who tossed the nearest object. Arthur narrowed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "You know, if that had actually hit me, it would be treason." Merlin shrugged, not seeming to care about Arthur's threat. He stepped over and picked up the pot he had thrown, and rested it back on the table.

"Look, Arthur," he said, voice softer now. "I just made something up. I know you don't want to get married right now."

"I don't," Arthur said, teeth tight. "I'm going to marry for love. Not for the kingdom."

"I was buying us time," Merlin said. "We have a month to think of another way. Or a month for you to actually fall in love with a royal princess." He grinned at the last bit, and Arthur felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. The sun came in through the shutters and spilled golden light over Merlin, his eyes bright blue and his lips soft and pink.

If Merlin was a girl, Arthur mused, he'd actually be quite attractive. But he wasn't a girl. Merlin had a dick. Arthur was definitely not into dicks - literally and figuratively. "You know," Arthur said, leaning his wrists back on the table. "I'm surprised my father accepted it. I don't think he fancies me with a boy. Especially a servant boy."

Merlin shrugged. "I don't think he cares who you fuck as long as you marry correctly for the kingdom at the end of the day."

Arthur nodded absentmindedly, tapping his fingers on the table. That was true. He stared out the window into the rolling green lands and castle boundaries. The whole "pretending to date Merlin for experimenting and practice purposes" was not something he wanted on his to-do list. But that wasn't what bothered him. It was marrying a woman he didn't want to marry. His father just wanted Arthur to have a ready Queen at his side when it was his turn to ascend the throne. He wanted something that sealed royal benefits, like a truce or a partnership. But Arthur, no matter how much he loved Camelot, could risk his heart for his land.

He needed a Queen who would support him when things got tough. He needed a Queen he actually wanted to have support from. He wouldn't survive the pressures of being a King if he didn't have anyone by his side.

Well, he would have Merlin. Always. He glanced sideways at Merlin, who was clearing the breakfast dishes, head bent down, long lashes fluttering over his eyes.

Merlin was always there.

Merlin caught his stare, and smirked. "So does this mean I have to call you my boyfriend now?"

Arthur made a low noise in his throat. "Shut up, Merlin."

"Okay." Merlin paused. "Babe."

Arthur returned to throwing innocent objects.

—-

It took Arthur a couple of days to realize why his father was okay with all of this. When Arthur had been interested in Gwen, his father had raged. She's a serving girl, you can't date a serving girl. But with Merlin, Uther didn't seem to care. In fact, he seemed all aboard the idea of having someone teach Arthur how to do proper things to woo a woman, like slow dancing. It was then that it dawned on Arthur that Uther didn't care because he knew it wasn't going to be serious. With Gwen, there was the threat that he would actually marry her. Uther didn't even consider that Arthur would ever want to marry Merlin, a boy. It really just was a phase, an experiment, in Uther's head. Merlin was no threat to Uther's grand plans of Arthur's marriage.

Arthur internally fumed at the dinner table. He wasn't going to follow Uther's plan. He'd rather actually marry Merlin than spend the rest of his life with a random woman. At least he trusted Merlin.

Merlin reached over him to refill his glass with water. Uther, from across the table, raised his brow, staring at them. Merlin paused. They met eyes, and a range of emotions crossed Merlin's face. Then he leaned down, and pressed a threadbare kiss on the side of Arthur's forehead. Arthur felt the soft lips, feather light, and swallowed.

Uther just shook his head, and rolled his eyes. Arthur felt dizzy. This was all so strange.

When the dinner table had cleared up, the only people left were Arthur, Merlin and Uther. Merlin was collecting all the dishes in his arms, piling one on top of the other, with careful precision and balance. Uther was reading a parchment. Arthur was feeling sweaty and embarrassed and waiting for a dismissal.

Finally, after what seemed like the longest minutes of his life, Uther looked up from his parchment, and cleared his throat. "Princess Mithian and her father are coming for a court meeting three sunsets from now. If you can court the princess of Nemeth, it would bring great partnership to Camelot."

Arthur felt the same rage and nausea stir up in his stomach once more. "But - uh - what about Merlin? Remember, you said a month?"

"You don't have to marry her right now. I want you to make her fall in love with you so that she will willingly attend the courting ceremony."

"I can't just make her fall in love with me," Arthur argued.

"Use Merlin for practice," Uther said, dismissing the notion. "That was the whole point of him, wasn't it?"

Merlin was just standing there silently, holding dishes, peering innocently at the conversation going on.

"In fact," Uther said, standing up from the dinner table. "You can start by buying Merlin flowers."

Arthur felt faint. Seriously light-headed. "Why would I do that?"

"Do you know his favourite flowers?" Uther said sternly.

"What? No-"

"Yet you claim you love him. He's been your serving boy for over a year, and you can't even choose his favourite flowers. How are you going to pick flowers for Princess Mithian?"

"I could ask her," Arthur said.

"Don't be ridiculous. To woo a princess, you must show her that you pay attention to her, even if she doesn't say what she wants. It must be unexpected and pleasant." Arthur wanted to scream as his father went on about the art of wooing princesses. This was absurd. This was getting terribly absurd and it was all getting out of hand too fast. His father paused, and finally said, "So buy Merlin some flowers. See if you can get it right with your serving boy first."

Arthur's mouth was full of cotton. "I don't-"

"It shouldn't be a problem. You like Merlin right now, don't you?"

Arthur closed his eyes, wishing one of his knights would come in through the doors and stab him in the abdomen. "Yes. I like Merlin."

"Good. Buy him some flowers."

That was the end of the conversation. Uther left the table, leaving Merlin and Arthur standing in the dinner hall in complete silence. Finally, Merlin shifted the weight of the dishes, and smiled. "I should be on my way." Arthur blinked as Merlin started to walk away. Oh, no, Merlin was going to get his tight little ass right back over here- wait. What? Arthur shook his head. He was just confused.

"Merlin," Arthur said, voice low. "What flowers do you want?"

"You're supposed to pick them," Merlin said, pausing in his steps. He turned around. "Unexpected. Pleasant."

"This was your stupid idea. So tell me."

"Don't you know them?" Merlin teased. "You're supposed to know them."

Arthur smiled evilly. "Fine. I'm going to get you the ugliest flowers in the world and you have to pretend to be overjoyed by them. If you refuse, I'll have you thrown to the wolves."

Merlin bit his lip. "Rude." There was still a smile on his face though, and Arthur thought Merlin was all too pleased to be getting himself some free flowers. He started to walk away again. Arthur called after him, "Daffodils? Sunflowers?"

Merlin didn't answer, and closed the door behind him. Arthur stared at the door, alone in the dining hall, and wondered what his life had come to.