Arthur yawned, doing his best to stifle the motion with his hand. All week he had been having the same dream, over and over again. He would meet the boy, Alfred, and soon enough his friend would disappear in one way or another. Arthur yawned again, his hand flying up to stifle the reflex. The motion went unnoticed by most of the attendants of the meeting he was currently engaged in. Most of them.
To Arthur's left sat a petite, pale girl, about the age of eighteen or so, who's shock of bright red hair was unmistakable, and who's knowing emerald eyes were trained on Arthur.
"You were up again."
Her voice was an almost inaudible whisper, only meant for the prince's ears. It was also a statement, not a question.
"Isa..."
"Don't lie, Arthur."
The prince paused, examining his options. He could either lie to the girl and say he was overly stressed from all of the incomprehensibly boring meetings he'd been subjected to for the last month, all of which were based solely around his rapidly approaching coronation and inevitable ascension to the throne. It was all just a game of kings and succession if you looked closely enough, but that was besides the point.
His second option was to tell Isa the truth. She was, after all, his half sister. But...she would just laugh at him and say he's just nervous for his coronation. Which albeit was true, but it wasn't the sole reason for his loss of sleep. The thrice-damned dreams were.
"I..." Arthur began weakly, praying for a way out of his current situation.
"Silence, please. We must begin."
Arthur thanked whatever deity was smiling on him as the voice of the council's speaker boomed throughout the room. All of the participants automatically fell into their seats, each with a suddenly serious face.
"Now," the speaker began, "There are a variety of different matters that must be fulfilled before the prince may properly ascend. Some of these include..."
The speaker's voice droned on endlessly as Arthur's eyes fell to the table in front of him. His hand reached for the piece of pencil and paper that lay before him on the table, and began to doodle.
Slowly Arthur felt his grip on the situation before him fade, and the last thing he saw before his eyes slipped shut was the drawing of Alfred he scribbled into the margins of the paper.
Arthur sat, cross-legged, across from Alfred. The boy was older than Arthur had ever seen him in his dreams, and he was frowning slightly.
"Arthur," He began, "I need your help."
"...Alfred? Why are you...old? Why am I older?" Arthur frowned, his conscious thoughts seeping into his dream.
"I'm hardly old, Arthur. I'm fifteen years, almost sixteen. But that's not the point." Alfred's tone was hushed and he was glancing around nervously.
Arthur's eyebrows shot up. "What's wrong?"
"I'm in trouble, Arthur. I need your help." Alfred's eyes were shining with hope.
"Help with what? You aren't making any sense!" Arthur frowned and crossed his arms.
"Please, Arthur, please." Alfred started to waver and fade from Arthur's view. "Promise you'll help me, that's all I'm asking."
"But I don't know what you need!" Arthur's frustration shone as Alfred faded from view. "Fine, I promise!"
The boy faded, finally disappearing.
"Alfred!"
Arthur was alone once more.
"Alfred, Alfred, Alfre-"
"Arthur, wake up!"
Arthur's shoulder was shaken forcefully as a harsh whisper reached his ears. The prince sat up with a start, eyes wild as he glanced around, hoping to find Alfred. He frowned, noticing the empty room that was surrounding him.
"Where's everyone?" He mumbled the words through a particularly large yawn, not bothering to stifle it with his hand and instead rubbing his eyes.
"The meeting's broken for lunch, you dimwit. Why did you fall asleep?"
Isa was sitting next to Arthur with her arms crossed and her face morphed with a frown.
"I was tired, sorry for falling asleep." Arthur grumbled, slumping down in his chair.
"Well, I think the only one who noticed was the speaker so you're safe. But please, for the love of all things sacred, stay awake for the second half!" The redhead cracked a tiny smile at Arthur's begrudging frown and patted his shoulder. "Now, shall we go fetch lunch?"
"Yes," Arthur smiled, his dream momentarily forgotten, "That would be great, Isa."
The meeting finished without any more cases of Arthur's fatigue, allowing the council to break relatively quickly with the confidence that their agenda for the day had been met. Isa and Arthur were just leaving the conference hall and walking towards their respective bedchambers when a messenger boy came running up to them, panicked.
"M'lord," The frazzled boy stopped before the duo, locking eyes with Arthur, "Your council be needed, sir. Quickly, in the trial room. It be an emergency, m'lord."
Arthur nodded solemnly and sprinted towards the castle's courtroom, his mind racing. Needing his council? Why?
As Arthur rounded the corner, his blood ran cold. There, surrounded by guards, bobbed a single, stubborn, wheat-blonde cowlick that Arthur knew but all too well. Soon enough the guards cleared to the side, excluding the ones holding the individual in his current, extremely tediously uncomfortable position, leaving Arthur to see who was before him. But he already knew.
Arthur's eyes scanned, from toe to head, the wiry frame that, though it was unfamiliar, he had seen but hours beforehand. Finally emerald eyes met sparkling ocean-blue ones, and a smile spread across the boy's tanned face. The grin Arthur knew too well.
"D'ya think you could help, Arthur?" Alfred's eyes gleamed with humor, "You promised you would, after all."
A/N: Isa is just an OC of mine that's in for the sake of the story. She's Arthur's half-sister, which will come into play later, but only really plays a minor role. Reviews are love~