November 25, 1537

Hampton Court Palace

He felt so small walking down the middle of the hall, with crowds of eyes watching his every move. His sense of caution did not recede, Arthur knew that if someone touched him now, that person could be badly hurt. He thought he was used to this, but it had never been this hard. This place was the core of the snakes And no gold, silk, or jewels could cover it.

His court, though not perfect, had never been this bad. Everyone is here for himself, and is willing to betray another if it is to his advantage. There is no loyalty, sincerity, devotion without talking about honor. Arthur even began to sympathize a little with his father. Although he insulted Henry a lot, at least in his mind, hardly anyone could lead such an ambitious and manipulative court.

Arthur could see small sneers at his stiff gait. That's it! He will not be insulted by snakes! He paused for a moment and closed his eyes. Arthur slowly allows his body to relax. If he is insecure now, they will see him as easy to control. He must nip the problem in the bud. His eyes open. The whole atmosphere changes. His gait becomes firm but free, like that of a man who knows his purpose and duty. Arthur's head is raised, and his eyes are convinced. He has a small smile on his face. His eyes are defiant, not hostile, he must be confident but not adversarial.

Some look at him with surprise, some impressed, while others just curious. He slowly approaches the throne and lowers his head and falls on his knees as a sign of bowing to the king. His father gives him a solemn nod, while his mother gives him an encouraging look. The ceremony begins. People put jewelry on him and say prayers. Today is his sixth birthday, the day a person becomes an adult in this era. Today is also the day he receives the title of Prince of Wales and goes to live there.

You can only imagine Arthur's surprise at that. There are three possible reasons why he, the Prince of England, gets the title that Wales claims.

1. Wales is an integral part of England

2. Wales is controlled by England, but is not officially in the union

3. England wants to conquer Wales and claim its throne.

According to Mary, this is the second. He honestly doesn't know what to think about it. He just hopes that Wales has a good position and that England treat him as one of their own. The ceremony is slowly coming to an end. While his father signals the servants to bring something.

Oh, no, no, no, no! This can't be what Arthur thinks. In a wooden box is an ornate and ceremonial sword, which his father carefully takes. He can't deny it, they plan to knight him. He quickly gets to his feet, refusing to kneel. Arthur can hear sighs and mutterings but ignores them.

To kneel now would be an insult to the entire round table. His knights bled for Britain. They fought for their beliefs and people, driven by the group dream of Camelot. They shook hands with yesterday's enemy, treating him as his brother. His knights erred like any human, but their hearts and convictions were always right.How can a six-year-old who hasn't battled or taken chances, who hasn't shared his heart and ideals with anyone in this life, be a knight?

He looked at his father defiantly, "I cannot accept this, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity, unfortunately I do not deserve it."He turns, then pauses and takes one last look at his father. His smile is encouraging, and his eyes are fiery. "Please grant me that the honor when I become a man worthy of that title."

He pays no attention to the numerous mutterings about his "foolish" act. Arthur would probably have snorted and laughed if he'd heard a noble say quietly, "Why do I feel like I've witnessed a knight from Arthurian legend?" The lady next to the nobleman added to the man, "It's good that I'm not the only one."

Not even his mother's gaze can shake him. He leaves the hall without regret. Arthur Pendragon has always been a person who chooses the hard way.

--

Henry stood there, not knowing what to do or how this situation had come about. Everything was perfect, from the decorations to the food and the music. And Arthur himself was excellent in the beginning, until the moment when he, the king, was about to knight him.

This has never happened before. What kind of boy didn't dream of this, isn't it every child's dream to be a knight? It seems his son has a slightly different idea about it.

When Arthur suddenly got up from his kneeling, Henry worried that Arthur might have scratched himself or was cold, but he definitely did not expect such a reaction from his son. It was something unreasonable and beautiful to Henry at the same time, and most people in the court seemed to share his sentiment. He would not do it himself, nor would he expect it from others, their mind would not allow it. On the other hand, Arthur seems to have been guided by conviction and morality. You don't know whether to think of him as a fool or to admire him. His wife, Catherine, did not seem to know how to react either, she was on a seesaw between two possibilities. Should Arthur be reprimanded and punished for doing this in court, or should he be rewarded for remaining true to himself and honorable.

His wife slowly saves the day and gets people dancing and eating. Although everyone engages in conversation, the atmosphere clarifies it that they are still under the influence of the situation. Yes, Arthur will definitely be punished.

--

"So there you are." said the first Thomas. It was not clear to him how the six-year-old climbed the tree, but he did not question, he just stood next to the tree. Silence and the cold November air filled their surroundings.

"You should come in, or you'll end up with a cold." said More.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at the words of the first Thomas, "You're not going to scold me or something?"

"Should I? What you did was silly but consistent. You made a compelling first impression on the court."

Arthur chuckled a bit at that. "Rather like, this crazy kid refuses to accept the high honor."Even though he said that, Arthur doesn't think he did anything wrong.

"I wouldn't call it a great honor if it is so easily obtained." the older man told him simply.

Arthur doesn't answer, but picks at the branches of the tree, his hand reaching for a red apple. He skillfully descends to a lower branch to be closer to Thomas. He settles comfortably on the branches, then grasps the apple with his little fingers, breaking it in two. Arthur gives Thomas More one half.

The older man smiled at the offer, accepting it. They both begin to eat, enjoying the pleasant silence.

"You should go back to the hall, Lord More, people might notice you're missing." Arthur said considerately.

"Don't worry, you're the only topic they'll be talking about this day."

"That's not very encouraging."

. . .

"You know, I swore to myself and to God that I would watch over you when I first heard of your birth. Now, I can say with certainty that I have come to love you."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful but why? I know I'm a brat occasionally. And I'm pretty sure I was a bit irritable with you and Cromwell."

"That's why I like you, you're honest with yourself and others. You know what you want and you have strong convictions. You also genuinely care about others."

"You're not just saying this to flatter me, are you?"

"I'm afraid that despite so many years at court, I still haven't learned the art of flattery. And I don't plan to learn it now at this age."

Arthur smiled at that.

"Do you have a dream?"

"Why do you want to know? Don't you think I'm an old to be a dreamer."

"No one is too old to dream. In my opinion, respect should be shown to those who have a desire and work hard to realize it." and they are welcome to my table, the rest is left unsaid.

"Strong words for a young man, but nothing really could surprise me from you. ... ... ... ... ... I wrote a book called: Utopia. That book was a version of my perfect kingdoms. Where all live in peace and harmony, men and women have equal education and all wealth is communal."

Arthur had never looked at Mora with such understanding as he did now.

"Utopia is your Camelot..."

The first Thomas laughed, "I wouldn't have said it better."

.

.

.

"Everywhere. …I…looked for you…" said a panting Mary, who had apparently escaped from her companions and gone all the way around Hampton Palace only to realize that her brother was in the garden.

Mary belatedly noticed the soon-to-be former high chancellor, and lowered her head in greeting. "Sir Thomas More."

Thomas returns the greeting, while Arthur descends from the tree so he can comfort his sister. After several scoldings for running away, and assurances that it was all right, Mary calmed down.

--

Pembroke Castle in Wales

Needless to say, Arthur loves his new abode. Although he likes Windsor and misses its people, it is nice to be in Wales after six years in England. He didn't even realize how much he missed this air and the river. The only bad thing is that his mother and Mary can't visit him as much because of the distance.

According to his governess, Margaret Bryan, the very fact that they visited him so much is unusual. It seems that in this period there is a custom that children are as little attached to their parents as possible. That explains why his father has only visited him three times in these six years, I mean, it's not like Arthur is complaining about it or anything.

The good thing about this move is that he is no longer surrounded by women. Nothing against ladies, it's just that men are much easier to escape from. His governess clearly considers him a lost cause, often telling him that she has never had a child as difficult as him. As much as she complains and scolds him, Arthur knows that she cares for him in her own way.

One of the things he didn't think he'd ever do was get close to Thomas More. Ever since their conversation in the garden, he had a newfound respect for the older man. He is no longer just the first Thomas who tries to impose his beliefs on him. Now it's much more than that. No one can beat Merlin or Ector, but More is an excellent teacher and listener.

Ever since their first lesson, the older man had realized that conventional learning methods didn't work with Arthur. He started to present things to him in a game and show, just like Merlin with the difference without magic. Arthur has even read his book, he can confidently confirm that Thomas is a dreamer. The kind that people will call a naive idiot who doesn't realize how cruel the world is. That makes him perfect for the round table! Arthur can proudly say that all his knights and he are naive idiots. How do people even think that Camelot was created? It all started with a group of people who dreamed of a better world and were ready to fight for it. Ah, but enough about the golden days.

As for his other teachers, there are Reginald Pole and John Cheke. They are perfectly fine, he still hasn't gotten to know them well enough to make a judgment.

However, today he is not sitting in front of paper and holding a pen with ink for lessons. He has just finished his letters to his aunts. Ever since he got the information from More that his paternal aunt was the Queen Dowager of Scotland, Arthur could only do one thing, write her a letter. The first attempt was unsuccessful, he was not used to writing this type of letter. They were always short political letters that he wrote, but with the advice of his teachers he managed to write them.

He had so much fun writing and thinking about the woman he never met that he got the urge to write to another aunt, Juana of Castile. His letters to his aunts were almost identical. Mainly because he hasn't met them yet, so he doesn't see them differently. Whereas, Arthur paid more attention to Juana's letter. He heard from his mother that she has been seriously ill for a long time, and because of that, she has to be locked up alone in her room. There was something strange about the way his mother talked about her sister's illness, though he didn't dwell on it. He could only imagine how lonely his aunt must be, being locked in a room without being able to see loved ones must be hurting her more than being sick. Arthur hopes that exchanging letters with him will interest her a little.

He blows to dry the ink, hoping for answers.

--

To my fair and noble aunt, Margaret Tudor

I hope this letter finds you in good health and that the day will come when my eyes meet yours. I am writing to you with the love and curiosity that only a nephew can have, wishing you the best, that God protect you and that a smile never leaves your lips.

Although we have never exchanged words, I already know that I will like you. I often hear of your grace and refinement, and all England knows of your loyalty.

You will have to forgive my curiosity, but I really am eager to know more about you. What do you like? What bothers you? How do you like your life in Scotland? Are my relatives good?

I could ask you a thousand more questions, but that would make this letter too long and difficult for you to answer. It would be rude for me to just ask for things to know about you without telling you anything about myself. You are free to ask me anything.

My name is Arthur, and I am currently based in Wales, I hope to stay here for a long time. I wouldn't describe myself as special or interesting, but I definitely love freedom. Troubles are somehow my constant companion. I enjoy riding and reading, but writing is a nightmare. Words just don't come to me, and my texts are too cold and long. Every time someone tells me to write something artistic, I find myself staring blankly at the paper. My teacher often scolds me for my style, and I'm pretty sure I traumatized a girl (Guinevere) with my song. In addition to my obvious anti-talent for writing, I don't seem to be good at theology either. I believe and live according to the Lord's rules, but my understanding of all this does not fit with the scholars.

Although I have much more to say to you, I will end my letter here. With the last words that your beloved daughter has been treated with all attention in England, and that I wish you happiness and health, from your only nephew.