(A/N)
hello everyone, welcome to my very short first chapter! this serves more as an intro to the idea of the fic, but it is number one in the 5+1 structure! i simply separated each number into separate chapters so it would be easier to read. i know this is short, so i'll be uploading the second part soon! the second through fifth parts are much longer, more one shot lengths, and then the last part is shorter but not quite as short as this.
for reference, i used this map of Camelot while writing, but it's not necessary to follow along, just adds some details :)
i started this fic two years ago and wrote in random bursts until quarantine had me steamrolling through the entire second half. please enjoy it!
The first time Merlin had heard the phrase, he hadn't thought much of it. Granted, he had been talking to a giant dragon (after finding out that dragons still existed, or at least one did) who thought that the absolute ass Prince Arthur was his destiny, so he was thinking everything being said was full of shit, but he still didn't notice.
Was he supposed to? Everyone knew what Arthur would be one day. The prince had been born and raised under Uther's rule, and he would take the throne after his father. Arthur fought well and would defend the kingdom from any outside threats, of that Merlin was certain, but that ensured nothing about the way Arthur would rule internally. From what he had known of the man at that point, Merlin wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect that was so great. All he had seen was a spoiled brat who didn't understand what it really meant to be king.
Reflecting on his past with Arthur, Merlin smiled wryly at the thought that he could have known more than Arthur about that subject. Yes, the prince only had Uther as an example (a man who obviously did not understand it at all). Yes, Merlin had grown up at the border of Cenred's kingdom and knew what it was like to have a king that simply did not care about his people. But Arthur? Sure, things had been rocky in the beginning. The situation with Sir Valiant quickly came to mind. A man who would believe the word of one man over another due to something as shallow as status would not, could never, understand what it meant to be king.
But that had not been what had really happened, had it? He had believed Merlin at first, and, even if he lost some belief in the face of his father's opposition, Arthur had believed Merlin in the end. A life of being sheltered from the real problems by Uther made his belief only go so far, yes, that had to be it. Because Arthur had grown. He most certainly did not remain the man who Merlin had met when he first arrived in Camelot. When it came down to the needs of his people, when it came to his plan of action against his father's, he was truly willing. He truly understood what it meant to be king. And as time went on, he began to understand when things weren't so dire in the threat of death, but in the sake of decency.
(A/N)
like i said, short :) second part is coming soon! please feel free to tell me what you think of it, as i love hearing people's opinions on my work!