A/N: I know that this is horribly overdue, and I'm very sorry for that. I've had a lot on my plate with classes and family issues recently, but I promised that I would finish this and I won't break my promise. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, even if it is very late. As always, reviews are always welcome and appreciated!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Arwen.

/

Arthur awoke to the feeling of fingers idly running through his hair.

"What time is it?" he mumbled without opening his eyes.

"It's still early." he heard Merlin respond.

Arthur finally opened his eyes and looked at his bed-partner.

"What do you know, I might actually make it to my meeting on time."

Merlin smiled.

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

He pushed Arthur back into the bed and kissed him. The prince showed up ten minutes late to his meeting with his father, but he definitely wasn't complaining.

/

Late that afternoon, Arthur stood in front of Arwen's door having an inner battle with himself. He knew that he needed to talk to her, but he also didn't think he could face her right now.

"This is ridiculous!" he finally whispered as he raised his hand to knock. He was just about to make contact with the door when it swung open.

"Arthur!" Arwen said surprised.

"Uh, hello. I was just…umm…" Arthur said embarrassed as he slowly put his hand down. His sister nodded and stepped aside.

"I think we had the same idea. Come in."

Arthur walked past her and took a seat at the table.

She joined him after locking the door. For a few minutes they didn't talk or look at each other. Arwen tried to say something multiple times, but she couldn't make her mouth form words. Arthur was still trying to put together what he wanted to say so that he didn't just start yelling. Finally, he stood up and began to pace.

"I hate what you're trying to do." he whispered miserably.

"I know."

"I just…I can't stand the thought of it. You and Merlin don't care for each other like that but you're going to have a child together because it's convenient; because of a mess of a lie."

"Arthur, I know this upsets you…"

"You're damn right it upsets me! How could it not? You're going to sleep with the man I love until you conceive a child with him." Arthur yelled while turning to face his still sitting sister.

"You're going to have a piece of him that I could never hope to have." he said.

Arwen slowly stood up and walked to her shaking brother. He refused to meet her eye, so she simply ran her fingers over the pendant of his necklace.

"Do you remember what I told you when I gave this to you?" she asked quietly.

After a moment Arthur closed his hand over hers.

"You said that even though we wouldn't be together anymore you'd still always be there for me. You told me to wear it whenever I wanted to feel close to you. I've hardly ever taken it off."

Arwen smiled.

"I'm glad. What I told you that day is as true now as it was then. I will always be there for you and I will never stop trying to protect you. I know that I messed up this time, but you have to believe me when I say that I really did do it for you. I stood there and I listened as Father planned out a life for you that I knew you would hate. I knew that if he got what he wanted you would never be happy again. I couldn't stand the thought of you never truly smiling or laughing again. I knew that I had to do something to make sure that that never happened. When Father mentioned that Camelot needed an heir that's when I knew what I had to do. I would give the kingdom an heir and you would give it the greatest king it's ever known."

"But, Arwen…"

"Shh, don't. Let me finish." the princess pleaded when their gazes finally locked. Arthur nodded.

"I know that this is hurting you, and I'm so sorry for that, Arthur. Really, I am, but this is the only way you can keep Merlin. I know you, baby brother, and I know that should you ever marry you couldn't ever bring yourself to dishonor your wife by being with anyone else. Even though it would break your heart, you wouldn't allow yourself to ever be with Merlin again. This will make it so that you never have to choose between your duty and your heart. You can be with him, love him, and Camelot will still get its heir."

Arthur looked away and whispered, "I know that you're right. I know that you did this to give myself and Merlin a chance, but I still hate it. I feel like he won't be mine anymore after this."

"He'll always be yours. You're his entire world, Arthur. He lives and breathes for you. One look at his face when you walk into the room is enough to prove that."

Arthur smiled, but it faded when he looked back at his sister and said, "What will I do when the child is born?"

Arwen laughed softly.

"You'll love it of course. And you will be like it's second father. It'll look up to you and most likely idolize you."

"Will it know that Merlin is it's real father?"

"Yes. I've never lied to you and I will never lie to my child." Arwen said with conviction.

Arthur nodded.

"Alright, but what if you don't have a boy. A girl can't be named an heir."

"We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it, brother dear. For now just rest assured in the knowledge that your beloved will always be yours and that the kingdom will have an heir."

"My beloved? You're making me sound like a girl." Arthur said as he took a step back.

"And what's wrong with being a girl?" Arwen asked as she put her hands on her hips.

Arthur laughed and said, "Nothing I suppose."

"That's what I thought."

The two Pendragon's were silent for a moment and then Arthur moved towards the door.

"I should let you get ready for dinner."

Arwen nodded.

When Arthur reached the door he turned to say, "Merlin will come to you tomorrow night."

"Yes. Let us hope that it will be the only night he has to do so."

"Indeed." Arthur replied.

With that he unlocked the door and walked into the corridor.

/

The next day Arthur was kept busy by his duties. He had to train with his knights in the morning, attend a council meeting midmorning, go on a patrol during the afternoon, and eat dinner with his father during the evening. By the time he returned to his chambers the sun had already set. Merlin was sitting at the table when he entered and he looked terrified.

"I'm not sure I can do this." he whispered when Arthur stepped close.

"I don't want to hurt you, Arthur."

The prince spoke past the lump in his throat, "It'll be alright, Merlin. This won't change anything between us; you said it yourself. I'll be fine."

"But, Arthur…"

"No buts. You need to bathe."

Merlin looked like he wanted to say something else, but he held his tongue. He silently went about getting the bath ready. When it was done, he slowly sank into the water and washed while Arthur stared into the fire. After he was done he redressed and put his hand on Arthur's shoulder. When the prince looked up at him, he gave him a small smile. Arthur stood up and embraced him.

"Take care of her and stay with her tonight. Hattie has been given the day off tomorrow so no one should bother you." he whispered into Merlin's neck.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Merlin asked.

Arthur pulled back and looked him in the eye.

"I will be just fine."

He gently pushed Merlin away to silently tell him that he should go. He took the hint and made for the door. With his hand on the handle he said, "I love you, Arthur."

"I know."

Merlin took a deep breath and then opened the door.

/

Faster than he thought possible, Merlin found himself at Arwen's door. Quicker still, he found himself inside her room. She was seated at her table in her robe. Merlin had to remind himself to breathe when he realized that that was all the princess was wearing.

"Good evening." Merlin said for lack of anything better.

"I don't think this is a situation that really calls for pleasantries." Arwen replied with a small smile.

"No. I suppose not."

Merlin walked closer and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Are you nervous?" Arwen asked.

"I think it would be strange if I wasn't."

"I suppose that's true. I'm a little nervous myself."

Somehow knowing that the princess felt the same made Merlin feel a little calmer.

"Merlin, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

Arwen looked away and blushed.

"Is there any way that you can ensure that I'll conceive tonight? Is there a spell you could use?"

Merlin wasn't as surprised by her question as he probably should have been.

"I don't think so, but I can always just try and will it to happen. That works with other things, so it might work in this situation."

Arwen nodded, but she didn't look at him.

"Could you also try and will the child to be a boy?"

"I suppose so. It couldn't hurt. The only thing that I know I can't do is try and create a child purely from magic. In order to create a life, a life must be given. Balance must always be maintained."

Arwen finally turned back to him.

"Really?"

"Yes. It's one of the laws of magic."

"Well, we certainly wouldn't want to break any laws, now would we?" Arwen asked.

It was completely inappropriate and badly timed, but Merlin burst into laughter at the statement. He simply couldn't help it. Arwen couldn't seem to help it either, because a few seconds after Merlin started, she joined him. They laughed until tears were streaming down their cheeks and their stomach muscles were sore. When they finally calmed down they both felt better. The atmosphere in the room had lightened considerably and they both felt more at ease. It was at this point that Arwen rose and took Merlin's hand.

"For what it's worth, I think you'll be a great father." she whispered.

"Well, I know you'll be a fantastic mother." Merlin replied.

They hugged each other for a moment and when they pulled apart Arwen slowly led him to her bed. When they reached it she gently kissed his lips. Then, she laid down and reached out for him. With a last deep breath, Merlin joined her.