Disclaimer: Merlin is property of the BBC and sadly, is not mine.

Chapter 1.

Merlin.

"I'm going to propose" Arthur says to me. I don't reply.
"Did you hear me Merlin?" He persists.
"Yes. I heard"
"... And what do you think?"
"Arthur, are you sure this is a good idea?" I say reluctantly. Arthur always asks for my opinion, but he doesn't really like hearing it.
"Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" He's getting agitated now.
"I don't know... You're Arthur Pendragon, the big shot footballer at the top of his game"
"And..." He's not understanding my point.
"And you just don't understand what marriage entails. Vivian is your longest relationship and you've only been with her 7 months. I don't think you're ready for marriage" I say finally. A frown plays on Arthur's face. He's not impressed.
"Oh. So you're the marriage expert now, are you?" He says, before standing up from the sofa and approaching me. He's angry. I should have just kept my mouth shut.
"No. No. I was just giving you my opinion"
"Listen Merlin. You're my agent, and my best friend. I know you think I don't appreciate women and would much rather use and abuse them, but I do really care about Vivian, and I want to marry her. I want to prove to the whole world that I can commit to this relationship. You know?" The sincerity in his blue eyes is apparent. He's really serious about this.
"Fine. Marry her. But, before you do that. You have to propose first. Oh, and Vivian has to say yes"
"Oh trust me. She'll say yes" Arthur says, a smug smile on his face before grabbing his car keys from the table, leaving my apartment.

He never tells me where he's going. Never.

Morgana.

"You'll never guess what?" Gwen says walking in, a huge smile on her face.
"Enlighten me"
"I've been asked to stand in for James Meaden" She says, barely able to control her excitement.
"Shut up!" James Meaden presents "Tonight With" every Friday nights. He gets to interview all the A list celebrities, and Gwen is going to be standing in for him? That's amazing.
"I know. I was shocked myself. But apparently, he saw me presenting MornBreak, liked my 'persona' and recommended me. I did a mini-rehearsal today and got the job!"
"Wow. Gwen! This is amazing! Who are you going to be interviewing?"
"Arthur Pendragon... That's where the positives end, I'm afraid" Both Gwen and I, and just about anyone with a brain, hate Arthur Pendragon.
"Oh."
"I know. I was watching previous interviews of him, and he has to be the most arrogant, pigheaded human being ever to surface this earth" Gwen says, the anger evident in her voice.
"He is a footballer. It's to be expected" I attempt to calm her down.
"You're right. Footballers think the world revolves around them just because they can kick a ball. It doesn't even matter who I'm interviewing. What matters is that I'm going to be presenting 'Tonight With'. We should get a drink to celebrate".

Arthur.

"Do you think she'll like this red one?" I ask Merlin. We're ring shopping, and I have no idea what Vivian likes.
"Vivian hates red" Merlin says bluntly.
"Really?"
"Yes. Remember that time you bought her a red dress, and she practically threw it back in your face?"
"No?" Merlin sighs.
"It doesn't even matter. The point is Vivian doesn't like red, and seeing as you're her boyfriend, I thought you'd know a little detail like that"
I stare blankly at Merlin for a moment. What was he implying? That I don't know Vivian well enough to marry her?
"I know she likes spaghetti"
"She hates pasta Arthur..."
"Oh crap"
Wow. Maybe Merlin does have a point, I don't know Vivian all that well, but what does it matter? Marriage isn't about knowing favourite colours and least favourite foods. It's about... It's about...
"Arthur! How about this one?"
"You really think she'll like that?" I say staring at the ring Merlin chose. It was the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.
"She'll love it!" The goofy smile on Merlin's face makes me sigh with disbelief.
"But. It's so... big. It's like a tumour"
"Girls love big stuff. Especially girls like Vivian" Merlin says persistently.
"And you really think she'll like this shade of green?" I say, my face etched into a frown as I continued analysing the ring in front of me.
"She loves green! Trust me Arthur. She'll love it. It's certainly a lot better than the red one you chose" I stare at him a little unconvinced. But seeing as I was lost for ideas. I decided to buy it. Merlin better know what he's talking about.
"We'll take this one please" I say to the man behind the counter.

Gwen.

"I got the questions today!" Morgana looks startled at my voice as she arrives, clearly tired from a hard day at work. I don't even know why she's so tired. She's only a photographer. How hard could taking pictures of models all day be?
"What questions? What are you talking about?" She's more tired than I thought.
"The questions I get to grill Arthur Pendragon with" I say, waving the sheets of paper, a teasing tone to my voice.
"Oh really? Anything juicy?"
"No. Just stuff about his love life, and more stuff about his love life, then stuff about football, and then we end with more stuff about his love life" I say, as I slowly scan through each sheet.
"Sounds like it's going to be a highly intellectual conversation" Morgana says sarcastically, before leaving to her room.

Arthur.

"Where are you taking me?" I have my hands over Vivian's eyes. Today is the day I propose to her.
"Just shh. All will be revealed soon"
I continue guiding her through my garden, before slowly placing her on a seat. I had set up a moon light dinner for her. I thought proposing to her in front of the stars would be 'romantic'. Girls like stars for some reason.

"That was amazing Arthur" Vivian's finished the dinner, and is beaming. I smile back at her.
"It was nothing" I say softly.
The silence takes over for a while, I continue to stare at her. Unsure as to when the perfect time to 'pop the question' would arrive. Merlin said I would 'know' if it was the right moment.
"So..." Vivian says, attempting to kill the awkward turtle.
"Vivian"
"Yes"
"Vivian. I. I. I lo-. I really lik-. I really care about you. I care about you a lot, and I've been doing a lot of thinking" I say. The nerves evident in my voice.
"Thinking about what?"
"Thinking about us. About our future. Where this relationship is going"
"And..."
"And... Well. I want more. I want you to be my wife. I want you to marry me. Will you?" I leave my seat, drop down on one knee, open the jewellery box and wait impatiently for her reply.
"Of course I will Arthur!" She forces herself on me, and we hug for what seems like eternity.

It's perfect.