A Marriage that Started a Legend

by IJustShowedUp

Follows canon but with my own arranged marriage spin on it. What happens when Hunith makes a mistake and is forced on the run with her infant son? What happens when Camelot knights find her twenty years later? What happens when Arthur learns he's betrothed to a peasant boy? Will Merlin be able to stand among royalty? Will these two different boys survive each other? Review!

7. Chapter 7

Arthur grumbled under his breath irritated, brushing Morris' hands off his shoulders. All the manservant was trying to do was brush out the wrinkles in the shoulders of his shirt after helping Arthur get dressed for the day. It was something Morris did on the daily.

But everything was irritating him today and it was barely mid-morning. The sun was still rising higher in the sky, bathing his room in sunlight.

But despite the beautiful morning, Arthur was in a terrible mood. He'd woken up on 'the wrong side of the bed' as the saying goes. He would probably be like this the rest of the day.

Just another day in the life of Prince Arthur Pendragon.

He usually had pretty good days. He was a prince, he had everything he wanted and needed. He was handsome and popular among his peers and admired by his knights. What did he have to be upset about?

Well there was his upcoming marriage happening tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

It was like every minute that passed resonated within him. It was just another minute closer to being tied down in 'holy matrimony'.

Arthur scoffed bitterly.

Holy matrimony. What a joke. As if there was anything holy about this union.

Arthur could feel his irritation and annoyance rise with every breath he took. If this was going to be his last day before he was tied down to someone, he was not going to spend it locked in his room.

The prince stormed over to his bedside, snatching up his sword that was sitting on top of his bedside table. The blade itself was in its red leather scabbard. He moved to tie it onto his belt. If he was going into town today, he wasn't leaving without his favorite sword. Morris had freshly sharpened it last night, or he'd better had since Arthur had ordered him to before he'd gone to bed.

"Allow me, sire." Morris said eagerly, always trying to get on Arthur's good side with his simpering. He brought his hands to the blonde's waistline, trying to take the sword from him and tie it to the belt himself.

Arthur scowled, slapping at Morris' hands away from him. "I can do it!" He snapped. He usually just allowed Morris to do everything for him, even with something as simple as tying his sword to his belt. It was his job as a servant after all and as Arthur was a prince, he deserved the luxury of having someone dress him and do anything he ordered him to.

But not today.

Today, he just wanted to do something himself. Something to occupy his hands, keep himself busy and his mind off of tomorrow's...event.

And Morris was ruining that.

Morris jerked his hands away as if he had been burned. 'So Arthur was in one of his spoiled moods again. The prince has no idea how good he has it,' Morris thought spitefully.

On the outside though, Morris was the perfect manservant. "Forgive me, sire." He simpered. He did a perfect bow, going low just like a servant should when addressing the prince.

"Oh, shut up." Arthur said dismissively, not giving him the briefest of glances. He wasn't worth his time. The prince busied his hands by finally getting the tie into a knot, his sword firmly strapped onto his waist. It wasn't nearly as neat as Morris could have gotten it considering Arthur usually didn't do it himself but it would do the job.

"Yes, sire." Morris answered easily, to used to these moods that his prince got into. He spent most of his time yelling or barking orders at the manservant. It was pretty much all Arthur ever did.

Arthur though, wasn't paying him the least bit of attention. He had already walked over to his window, tugging his bright orange shirt that was slightly twisted into place himself. Morris would have usually noticed and taken care of it while he was dressing him but Arthur couldn't stand the thought of his hands on him right now.

He would probably throw the manservant out the window if he tried.

Arthur bent his arm at the elbow and put it over his head, pressing it against the glass of the window. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against the crook of his elbow, staring out his window solemnly, his other hand clenched on his hip.

He could see some of his people walking through the courtyard.

They had absolutely no idea how lucky they were. They were just living their lives with no actual responsibility. No one was forcing them to marry. No one had a father who had lied to them all of their life.

How could his father do this to him?

Throw him into this marriage out of nowhere's. He had never even saw it coming when his father had sat him down that morning and told him about what was going to happen.

He hadn't got much sleep at all last night which just added to his frustrations. How could he sleep knowing what he did? That his so called fiancé was sleeping in just the next room.

He could almost feel the bags forming under his eyes because all he did last night was toss and turn, which was very unusual. He usually slept like the dead, completely relaxed in his large bed.

Under eye bags were not attractive at all, especially not for someone of his station.

Even though to Morris, it looked like Arthur was watching his people in the courtyard, the prince's eyes were unfocused. He wasn't really paying attention to the outside world. He was to lost in his thoughts.

Arthur could barely detect the soft sounds of Morris moving around behind him. He was doing his ordinary everyday cleaning duties. He was smoothing out his bedsheets, making up the bed. He would then pick up Arthur's sleep clothes from somewhere on the floor. He would wash them and then they would be returned to Arthur's dresser within the day.

Arthur almost wished that he could have Morris' life. Well maybe not Morris specifically, the guy could get annoying sometimes with his constant simpering.

But the life of a servant or a peasant. Someone common even though Arthur was anything but. Wouldn't that be the life? To not have duties and obligations that you had no choice but to go through with. To be free to marry whoever you wanted and not the whole arrangement be done by your father.

The life of a servant had to be so much simpler than that of a prince. He would probably give anything to be one of those people down in his courtyard. Any one of them, just as long as this wasn't happening to him.

"Sire?" Morris' voice broke through his thoughts as the manservant came up behind him. "Is there anything that you would like me-"

"Are you still here?" Arthur asked, glancing over with a frown. "Get out and make yourself useful somewhere else."

Morris frowned but bowed lowly, "Yes, sire." He was still bowing as he backed out towards the door.

Arthur rolled his eyes and turned back to his window. That constant simpering was infuriating him more than anything right now.

Usually, Arthur would love that his every word was hung on. That he could do anything and not one person ever told him different. It was a power rush, knowing that everyone looked up to him. That they did exactly what he told them, no questions asked.

But right now, that wasn't what Arthur wanted. He didn't know exactly what he wanted but simpering was the last thing.

Meanwhile, Leon was forcing himself to walk down the hallway towards Arthur's room. He was looking ahead but his eyes were trained on the floor ahead of him. "I can do this. It won't be awkward at all." He was muttering to himself.

Leon had put this off but now that he knew the wedding was planned for tomorrow, he knew that he had to do it now. He couldn't just let Arthur traumatize the boy. If they were going to be together, then Arthur had to know just how...unaware, Merlin was about everything.

Which was why he was here now, forcing himself to walk to Arthur's room. He had originally planned to spend his morning getting some sword practice in but this was probably a little more important at the moment.

Leon had almost reached Arthur's door when it opened and Morris walked out backwards, bowed low. Leon had to pull to a sudden stop because he had almost ran over the smaller boy.

Morris' head snapped up to look at him before quickly bowing again, "Sir Leon." He said simply.

Leon didn't pay him much attention. He had never liked the manservant that much. Maybe it was the way he looked at Arthur with an almost greedy look in his eyes when he thought nobody was looking. Or how Leon had caught him strutting around bossing the other servants when he had no real authority.

But Arthur didn't seem to care. The boy did do an excellent job as a manservant. So as long as he just did his job and didn't overstep, there was no real reason for Leon to mention it.

"Is the prince in there?" Leon asked.

Morris nodded, "Yes, sir. But I believe he wants to be alone right now."

Leon nodded, about to leave. But that was before he hardened his resolve. No, he wasn't going to use that as an excuse to leave without having this conversation. It was just one of those things that had to be done. If he didn't do it now, he doubted that he would do it later.

"Well I need to talk to him so..." Leon gave him a look. Morris was blocking the doorway.

Morris quickly stepped aside, "Of course, sir." But as soon as Leon stepped inside and the door shut behind him, Morris' neutral expression dropped into a scowl. He had told Leon the prince wanted to be alone and he had ignored him and went in anyway.

Leon had just made it on his list of people he wanted to do away with when he became king.

Morris stomped down the hallway, he needed to find one of the lesser servants to boss around. That always made him feel better. At least they wouldn't tell him no. He straightened his spine with a superior smirk on his face. He was the prince's manservant after all and therefore, better than them all.

Inside the room, Arthur didn't turn away from his window although he did have a scowl on his face as he heard his door swing open again. "I thought I told you to go away, Morris!" He snapped, prepared to grab a goblet off his desk to throw at him.

"It's not Morris," another voice said from behind him.

Arthur sighed heavily before turning around to face his fellow knight, not at all ashamed to have been caught yelling about his manservant. He had done way worse than that and in public to.

"Yes Leon, what is it?" Arthur asked, moving to stand by his desk. It wasn't often that Leon came to him. The other knight was a handful of years older than Arthur so the only interaction they ever had was during training. Leon was a very good knight, one of the best although Arthur was better. Arthur wasn't known as the best swordsman in the kingdom for nothing.

Leon was looking nervous though, uncharacteristically fidgeting. Arthur raised an eyebrow at him.

"Arthur, there is...something, that I thought was only right to bring to your attention." Leon said slowly, not sure how to start this conversation.

Arthur frowned, Leon was acting really weird. The prince leaned against his desk and gestured with his hand. "Go on, Leon. Has something happened?"

"No, no." Leon said quickly. "Not something bad. Just...something." Arthur gave him a look so Leon forced himself to continue. "It's about your betrothed." He spit out quickly.

Arthur's face immediately dropped into an annoyed scowl. "He's only been here for a day. Has he done something?"

"No, nothing like that." Leon started again before cutting himself off.

Arthur could feel his irritation spike again, "Well? What is it then?"

"He doesn't know anything about the wedding night!" Leon blurted out.

The room was deadly silent for several long moments. Leon could feel his face flush uncomfortably. Arthur stared at him blankly, not comprehending what he had just said.

"...Arthur," Leon finally said in an awkward tone, trying to break the tension in the room.

Arthur had felt like his life had just left his body. He couldn't hear anything. Like everything was muted, as if he was underwater, and his mind was completely blank. It was only Leon's voice that made the rush of sound hit him as his awareness of the situation came back. "I'm sorry, I think I misheard you. Did you just say..." he trailed off.

"About the wedding night." Leon finished.

Arthur blinked several times, trying to understand what was happening. "As in..." Leon couldn't really be suggesting what he thought that he was saying.

Leon nodded, "...Consummating."

Arthur's eyes went wide as it hit him that yes, that was exactly what Leon was saying. Arthur got a look of disbelief on his face and his jaw dropped. He actually stuttered for a minute even though he knew very well from his etiquette tutors as a child that stuttering was very unbecoming for a prince.

"H-he serio-seriously has no i-idea ab-about...?" Hadn't his father told him that the boy was nineteen? How did a nineteen year old not know? He was a peasant, peasants were dirtier than nobles. Surely he had at least experimented a time or two, gotten with someone at least once or twice. Arthur may not know everything about being with a man but he at least knew the basics.

It was baffling to Arthur. It was completely unthinkable. If this boy didn't know anything about...that...did that mean that he was a virgin as well?

Arthur couldn't stand the thought of touching that boy but being his first? That thought filled him with even more disgust than he already had. He wasn't going to suddenly be nice just because he was the boy's first. He had better things to do than ease him into an adult relationship. If you could call their arrangement a relationship. Arthur sure wouldn't be calling it that.

"How do you know?" Arthur finally asked, voice cracking in a way that hadn't happened since he was thirteen and just started going through puberty.

"On our journey here," Leon explained quietly. "There were some...mention, of what would happen after the wedding. Nothing explicit, just a teasing joke or two. It was clear from his confusion that he had no idea what was being talked about. And he even asked me but I...I couldn't bring myself to explain." He admitted.

Arthur swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in his throat. He felt a spike of annoyance at the thought that his sex life had been the topic of discussion, not that he and this boy would have a sex life at all. It would be a one and done deal just to make the marriage official and then he wouldn't need to be bothered with the boy again.

But he had other things to worry about. It was one thing to be forced to lay with a boy, it was entirely something else when that boy had no idea what Arthur would have to do with him.

"So...obviously, someone else is going to have to explain things." Arthur said gruffly. As a prince, he did have a duty he couldn't avoid, like this wedding. But he would be damned if he gave a grown man his sexual education that he should have learned years ago.

"Right..." Leon agreed awkwardly. He hadn't really thought that Arthur would do it himself. There were just some things that nobody should have to do and there was no doubt that this was one of them. But someone had to do it. The boy couldn't exactly go into marriage knowing nothing.

Leon bowed slightly to his prince, not nearly as deep enough as he would have if he had been talking to the king. "Well, I've informed you of the situation so really, I should be going. I have some training to get done."

Leon was trying to make a quick getaway, walking towards the door. He had done his due diligence and now he could walk away without feeling bad for Merlin. It was up to Arthur how he would proceed with this new information.

"Wait, Leon," Arthur called before he could make it to the door. Leon froze, hand hovering over the handle.

Arthur snapped his mouth closed, standing by his desk stiffly. He had called out for the knight before he could stop himself. He hadn't meant to do it but now that he had, he very well couldn't not ask.

"You-you've spent time with him." Arthur said stiffly, jaw locked tight. "I know that he apparently knows...nothing, so he's an idiot. But...what else can you tell me about him?"

Arthur didn't care about his fiancé on a personal level, he wanted to never see him actually. But he also needed to know just who it was that he was marrying. Call it idle curiosity, but he wanted to know who he would have to call his husband.

He would probably spend his entire life hating him but at least he could hate him for his personality other than just the fact that they were married. He knew he was an idiot so that was already a mark against him in Arthur's eye.

"He is...something else," Leon answered and then went silent.

Arthur gave him a displeased look, "Something else?" He repeated dryly. "That's all you can tell me?"

"Well," Leon started. "I'm not exactly sure how to explain him. He...was not what I was expecting for when you married."

Arthur scowled. "So he's an idiot and not what would be expected for a prince." He grumbled under his breath. "So he really is just some dumb peasant boy, is he?"

Leon winced, having not meant to give off that impression. "No, I just meant-"

"You can go, Leon." Arthur interrupted, turning his back to the knight. He planted his hands firmly on his desk, staring at nothing as trepidation for his upcoming wedding filled him.

"I just-" Leon tried again. Sure, Merlin was a peasant but he was a good kid. He didn't want to leave the prince with a bad impression before he'd even met the boy.

"I said go." Arthur interrupted again, hunching his shoulders so that they were near his ears as he leaned over his desk. His words held a note of finality to them. Leon could barely detect the anger Arthur was holding in.

Seeing that Arthur clearly wasn't going to listen anytime soon, Leon gave a heavy sigh. "Yes, sire," before finally leaving the room.

Arthur sighed in relief when he heard the soft click of his door as Leon shut it behind him. Finally, some peace and quiet. That was all that he had wanted this morning. But now that he had it, the more the quiet irritated him.

He usually didn't mind being in his room. He could come here and get the privacy he wanted. The privacy he never got because he was known by everybody as soon as he left his room. And yes, he loved that his people knew exactly who he was and that he was well above them. But still, some privacy every now and then didn't go amiss.

But now it was to quiet. To irritating and frustrating and the only thing he could think about was his idiot fiancé. He could literally feel the disgust seeping out of his pores at the thought of marrying such a man. Now not only was he furious over the fact that he was a boy, it turned out that the boy's personality itself was also a turn off.

Was there absolutely nothing redeemable about this fiancé of his?

Probably not. He was just some common peasant after all. He would never be worth Arthur's time, rather they were married or not.

Finally, he couldn't stand the quiet anymore. He had to get out of his room, get his mind on something other than how bleak his future would be.

Arthur pushed off of his desk and turned on his heel. He stormed over to his door, throwing it open. He was bellowing for somebody to fetch Morris and the target board before the door had even fully opened.

Down in the city, Merlin had spent the past two hours exploring. He didn't buy anything. He knew better than to spend what little coin he had on something he didn't really need. But it was fun to check out the city, see everything that they had to offer. It was more than he thought.

He'd never seen fabrics that somebody was selling in such a vibrate variety of color's. He'd never realized how good the smell of freshly baked bread was as he passed by the town baker. And he'd never realized how polished you could get gemstone jewelry. He had practically seen his reflection in them.

The only thing that made him pause was the stall that was run by an elderly woman. She had been selling scarfs and neckerchief's. He had played with his money pouch for a minute, contemplating on getting one. He had almost gone through with getting a new neckerchief. The material had been so soft, unlike the ones he usually wore that was worn out and old from his many years of use.

But in the end, he had turned away. His few coins should go on something more practical, his mother's words rung in his head. Something like food.

Maybe Merlin could find himself some kind of job. Just something he could do to occupy himself with and get some extra coin while doing it. Then he could come back and get one without feeling guilty about it.

Merlin was heading back towards the castle now. He was planning on going back to Uncle Gaius' and letting him know that he'd found Sir Owain and delivered the potion. Who knows, maybe he would even let Merlin help out on whatever concoction that he was making.

Merlin only made it as far as the drawbridge though when he was passing by a couple of knights standing on the edge of the bridge. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help but pick up bits about their conversation.

"Can you believe it?" One knight was saying. "The prince is really getting married?"

The other knight nodded, leaned back on his elbows against the railing of the bridge. "I feel sorry for the poor lady that will be saddled with him."

Merlin stood frozen just behind them. The conversation they were having...was about him? He could feel his breath hitch, they felt sorry for him because he was marrying Arthur? How bad was this guy that even his own knights were talking about him behind his back.

The first knight chortled, "I know, right! I mean, this princess has got to be something else if Uther agreed to the match."

"Princess?" The word had left Merlin's lips before he could stop them. The two knights immediately turned to him, both wearing annoyed scowls. Merlin winced, taking half a step back.

"Are you eavesdropping on us?" The second knight snapped, hand going to his blade.

Merlin's eyes flickered down to the blade and then back up to the older man. "Of course not." He said quickly, a sheepish smile on his lip. "I was just..." he did a little side step, making a large circle as he went around them, never turning his back to them. "Passing through." He finished wearily.

He had been standing on the side of the bridge with his back to the village. Now that he had went around them, his back was towards the castle.

The two knights glared him down before the one holding his blade handle apparently decided he wasn't worth the effort. "Just some peasant boy." He grunted, going back to leaning on the bridge. "Go find some work to do and leave the real men to finish talking." The first knight burst into laughter at that.

Merlin stared at them blankly. Real men? Were they saying they were real men because they were soldiers and he wasn't.

He was about to leave when he heard the other knight grumbling to his friend, "Peasants need to mind their own business."

He was talking before he could think about it, "Real men? When are they going to get here?"

Merlin knew he'd made a mistake as soon as they turned their glares on him. The two guards brought their hands up to the handles of their blades and Merlin quickly took off.

He was shouting excuse me's as he raced through the crowd, throwing himself between people as he hurried across the drawbridge to the castle. He heard the ruckus in his wake as the guards shouted. There were yelps from the people as the guards shoved them aside, trying to chase after him.

Merlin was smaller and more lithe. He was able to run around people or squeeze through small gaps of people faster than the knights could shove them out of the way. He was shouting sorry's as he bumped into people while making his escape.

There was at least four chickens on the side of the street, pecking at the ground. They squawked, wings flapping urgently as Merlin nearly ran them over in his effort to get away.

He was almost to the castle when he spotted a wagon of hay parked on the side of the street. It's owner was sitting on the edge of it just smoking away. Merlin didn't hesitate to scramble around it, throwing himself on the other side to hide.

He sat there for a minute, heart racing in his chest but he didn't hear the knights coming after him. So very slowly, he turned over and got to his knees so that he could peek over the top of it.

He didn't see the guards but he did see the hay owner looking down at him with a raised eyebrow, a hazy look in his eye. He was clearly drunk. Merlin smiled sheepishly, about to stand up and leave.

That was when the guards came racing out of the crowd and towards them. Merlin bit back a yelp and dove behind the hay, trying to keep himself hidden.

The guards though, didn't run passed the hay. They stopped to talk to the hay owner. Merlin was cursing himself in his head at his failure of a hiding spot.

"Hey! Have you seen a scrawny kid?" One of the knights asked the hay owner. "Dark hair, he's got a mouth on him."

Merlin scowled. He was not scrawny! Maybe a little on the skinnier side but he wouldn't have called himself scrawny.

That was when he registered the question that they had just asked the hay owner. Merlin sat there in a tense silence, positive that this was it and he was going to get beat up by the guards.

"He went that way," the hay owner said with a loopy grin. The guards didn't even thank him before they took off running in the direction the hay owner pointed.

Merlin sat frozen, waiting for the knights to descend on him. He could feel the dirt beneath his palms, his back pressed against the wood of the wagon. His heart was pounding in his rib cage. But to his astonishment, they never did.

Instead, he heard the knights yelling at each other, blaming the other for losing him. Then they were running off in the opposite direction from him.

After a moment of silence when he was sure that they weren't coming back, Merlin cautiously peeked over the edge of the hay. The two guards were long gone, having disappeared somewhere in their effort to find him.

Merlin shifted his gaze to look at the man that had helped him. "Uh...thank you," he said astonished, clambering to his feet. The last thing he had been expecting was help.

"No problem!" The man said brightly, loopy smile on his face. He brought what he was smoking up to his lips, a hazy look in his eyes. "I remember when I was on the run from the law." He gave a long, heavy sigh. He looked as if he was lost in his memories, laying back on top of the wagon in the hay as if he was planning on staying their for a while.

"...Right," Merlin said slowly, an awkward look on his face. He took a cautious step back, and then another. When the man still didn't stop him, Merlin was quick to start walking towards the castle.

He was almost there, walking at a slower pace along the dirt road. He stuffed his hands down his pockets and was heading to the stone gates that outlined the courtyard.

He was scowling, thinking about those knights that he may or may not have insulted. Did they really think that he was a princess? Was that what everyone was expecting? Some kind of beautiful, foreign princess?

Merlin hunched his shoulders, kicking a stone that was in his way. He watched sullenly as it bounced a few times further down the dirt road.

Well, everyone was just going to be disappointed when it turned out to be just him, weren't they?

He wasn't beautiful, not at all. He was far to awkward, with gangly limbs and knobby knees, with hair that never laid completely flat. He supposed that he could be foreign but really, Ealdor may be in the next kingdom but it was the closest village to Camelot so really, how foreign could that be. And if you really wanted to get technical, Merlin apparently wasn't even born in Ealdor. He was born somewhere in Camelot before his mother had made the trip that ended up with them in Ealdor.

And Princess?

He barely had five copper pieces in his coin pouch to rub together. He had no lands unless you counted his mother's house and that was more her land than his since she took care of their finances.

And the only title he held was Peasant. A title that was the most common to find. And that was exactly what he was. Common.

The only thing about him that wasn't common was his magic. But that would be a secret that he would probably take to his grave so as far as anyone else knew, he was nothing more than common.

Merlin scowled as he started walking through the courtyard. He didn't like thinking like this. He didn't like feeling as if he were depressed. He had enough problems with his magic. He couldn't add everything else on top of it.

Annoyed with himself, Merlin kicked another stone across the courtyard.

Merlin was heading in the direction of Uncle Gaius' but he was in no real hurry to get there.

He stopped where he was to lean his head back, his eyes fluttering closed. The sun heated up his skin in a way that it didn't in Ealdor. Back home, the sun was always burning. Working all day in the fields, the heat was almost blistering but everybody had to stay covered up. Fearing heatstroke was a better alternative to feeling as if your skin was being melted off as your skin turned ruby red under its rays.

Sunburn, is what they called it. It was incredibly painful that even a brush of something on the skin made a rush of pain go through you. It lasted for several days and was all around just horrible to have.

But in Camelot, the sun didn't feel as hot. Maybe it was just because Merlin hadn't spent the day in the fields but the sun didn't feel as if it would blister his skin. It felt warm, relaxing almost. He could just imagine laying out in the woods somewhere, in a patch of sunlight. To be warmed by its rays as he drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

Merlin took in a deep breath, breathing in the crisp air around him. It felt as if Camelot was in a completely different world from Ealdor. It was only three days between the two places and yet, the two places were so different that it was unreal.

Just standing here, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the soft breeze on his cheeks, it almost made Merlin forget about why he was here in the first place. But no, he wouldn't think about his wedding. The upcoming wedding had pretty much ruined his entire life. He wouldn't let it ruin what was probably his last day where he was absolutely...free.

His wedding.

Arthur.

His magic.

Uther.

His possible execution.

He wasn't going to let his worries, his doubts, his anxiety, or anything else, ruin what little time he had left before he had to say I Do.

That was when he heard the slight thud, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was startling, suddenly being jolted into awareness.

Another thud.

It took Merlin only a minute to wander through a small crowd of people forming to find out what was causing the noise.

He heard another thud.

The handful of people hanging out in the courtyard were muttering around him but Merlin couldn't really understand any of it as he tried to see around the people in front of him.

"He's at it again," a middle aged woman holding a baby grumbled, only to be shushed by another woman, worried that her friend may be overheard.

"I feel sorry for that servant. Imagine working for him." A man he was passing muttered.

"The pay has to be really good to put up with it." A teenager grumbled.

Merlin somehow found himself on the edge of the crowd but don't ask him how. He was still confused on that himself. But he was able to step away so that he had some space to himself. He was standing by himself a few feet away from the small crowd of a handful of people.

"I told you to keep moving!" A voice crowed with laughter. It practically reeked of arrogance and gave Merlin a bad taste in his mouth.

There was a yelp as a serving boy ducked behind the large target. Another dagger pierced the center of it, the boy awkwardly running as to keep the target moving.

The boy that had thrown the dagger broke out in laughter, the small group of boys behind him barking with it. It wasn't just the one boy. It was all four of them that had arrogance and wealth practically wafting off of them.

Merlin could almost feel the humiliation coming off the serving boy as if it were his own. What little peace that he had finally been feeling after his hectic week was completely gone. And all because of the smug look the blonde headed ringleader had on his face.

The blonde was laughing as he pulled out another dagger. His friends were crackling behind him as if this was the funniest thing any of them had ever witnessed.

Merlin was frowning though. How could anybody find this funny? Merlin found the whole thing degrading and his frown deepened. It was more disgusting then anything else.

That people could actually find something like this amusing.

Merlin had no way of knowing this, but up in the castle right behind them, a young woman was watching from one of the open windows high up in one of the many towers. The serving girl had just been trying to beat the dust off of an old blanket when she had caught sight of the scene below. She was to high up to really see anything but it wasn't to hard to figure out.

It wasn't the first time that those four boy's were causing trouble. Nobody had ever bothered to call them out on it though, to terrified of the repercussions.

"Come on!" The blonde called to his manservant, grin wide and mocking. "We want a moving target!" The serving boy tried to run again but the blonde threw another dagger.

It hit dead center.

It would have been more impressive to Merlin if the one doing the throwing wasn't being such a prat.

That was when the serving boy tripped, dropping the target board.

Everybody watched as the target landed on its rounded side. Nobody made a move as it started to roll across the courtyard. It finally rolled to a stop, flopping over onto its side.

Merlin's eyes drifted down to where the target had landed, just shy of his feet.

Of course it would land in front of him. Why wouldn't it?

The blonde throwing at the target didn't even register that Merlin was there. He was to busy pulling out one of his many daggers and Merlin had to wonder how many he had on him.

Did everybody carry around weapons on them? It seemed weird to Merlin, who'd never been armed with more than a small kitchen knife whose only action had been to cut his bread.

But then again, Merlin didn't need a blade, did he?

"Well, what are you waiting for?" The blonde called, eager for his fun to continue. "Go get it!" He smirked at his manservant who hurried across the courtyard to pick it up.

Morris bent down to pick up the target. He could feel the pink tinge high on his cheekbones. This was humiliating, having all of these other peasants watching.

He was better than all of them! He knew he was, down to his very core. He had plans, ideas, that would get him higher than any servant had gone before.

He didn't feel very important right now though. Not with Arthur showing off in front of his royal subjects again. Not when it was him that was on the receiving end.

He had to keep telling himself that all of this would be worth it. That it had to be, when it was finally his turn to humiliate others instead of being the one humiliated.

Morris froze then and it wasn't because of Arthur's cracking laughter. He was used to the mocking tone that the man always used.

No, he only stopped picking up the target because he couldn't move it. A foot had just come down on top of the edge, stopping him from returning to Arthur in his hurry.

Merlin plated his boot firmly on the target, not looking at the serving boy. He had his eyes planted firmly on the ringleader. The ringleader who was to busy laughing with his friends to notice that his servant hadn't yet returned.

When it was clear that none of the boys were going to acknowledge them, Merlin took it upon himself to make them acknowledge him.

"Hey," he called out, his smile a little to forced. "Come on, that's enough."

Arthur had his back to his servant, cracking jokes with his friends when he heard the voice call out to him. It took him probably a minute to long to realize that they were talking to him.

Who was talking to him? Especially when he was in the middle of having fun with his manservant.

Arthur finally turned around, frowning when he saw the stranger there. He definitely couldn't remember seeing him before but then again, the prince gave a look of disdain at the boy's wardrobe choice, he was obviously a peasant.

Arthur never did have much time for remembering peasants or their faces. This boy could have worked for him before and he probably wouldn't have recognized him.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at the boy. His body was completely loose and he was relaxed. A curious smile growing as he walked over.

"What was that?" He asked, just to make sure that he had heard what he thought he did. Surely this boy wasn't telling Arthur to stop his fun? No, nobody was that stupid.

Arthur had never met Melin before though.

Merlin watched the blonde with a frown as he swaggered up to him. Was he always this cocky? It made Merlin want to wipe that smug grin off his face.

Morris was still kneeling on the ground, looking up at Merlin with a frown. What in the world did he think he was doing? A common boy couldn't just walk up and start talking to the prince.

Didn't the boy know that Arthur made the rules around here? It was humiliating but true. Morris was a serving boy and Arthur was royalty. It was just the facts of life.

Morris glanced over at Arthur who hadn't even acknowledged him at their feet. Arthur's attention was firmly on the peasant boy.

Morris scowled.

When was the last time Arthur's attention had been caught by a peasant that he wasn't tormenting?

But then Morris caught the look on Arthur's face. The one he'd come to recognize as the one the prince got whenever he was about to have some fun, usually at the expense of somebody else.

The boy would leave with his tail between his legs, of that, Morris had no doubt.

Merlin gave the blonde prat a once over. That smug expression the prat wore on his face made Merlin want to scrunch his face up in disgust. He didn't though but it was just barely.

Merlin was taller than the blonde but only by an inch. The blonde was much thicker though, his biceps alone were several inches rounder than Merlin's gangly limbs.

Arthur gave the boy a once over, smirking in complete confidence. This boy had no idea who he was dealing with if he thought that he could just talk to him like that.

Merlin raised an unimpressed eyebrow, the boy's entire demeanor making his spine stiffen.

Arthur stepped confidently up to the boy so that they were face to face with just the target board between them. Sure, the boy was just slightly taller, but he was smaller overall. Arthur gave a glance to the noddles the boy called arms.

Neither of them paid Morris the least bit of attention, still kneeling on the ground. He had been all but completely forgotten about.

Merlin could feel his nervousness rise a touch, seeing the blonde was now completely focused on him. How did he get himself into these situations, he would never know. But even as the blonde prat stared him down, Merlin never once wavered.

Finally, after a moment of silence, Merlin spoke up. "You've had your fun, my friend." It didn't even occur to him not to say the last part. It was just a slip of the tongue, a way of trying to stop whatever was happening before Merlin made it worst.

But of course, Arthur caught it immediately.

"Do I know you?" the prince asked dryly. Earlier, he had thought that he wouldn't recognize the boy at all if he had seen him around. But now, he doubted that the boy would be hard to miss.

Not many peasants just came up and started talking to him. That alone made this a rememberable moment.

But to be honest? Arthur doubted that he would remember this one bit after all of it was over with. Sure, it was a spot of entertainment, turning his attention to this peasant boy instead of his manservant.

But that was all that it was.

A spot of entertainment for him and his friends. Someone new that they hadn't messed with yet because believe him, if he had messed with him, the boy wouldn't be starting something with him right now.

Merlin just barely remembered the manners his mother had installed in him and held out his hand, as if this whole thing wasn't just plain awkward. "I'm Merlin."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, looking in disdain at the hand thrusted in front of him. Surely the boy wasn't really expecting him to take his hand? As if he would touch the dirty hand of a peasant, who knew where this boy had been before their faithful meeting this day.

And Merlin? What kind of dumbass name was that.

Merlin kind of let his hand hover there for a moment, the corner of his lips tugging into a frown again. He had just been trying to be friendly, maybe talk some sense into the jerk since he clearly lacked any.

Was Camelot so stuck up that nobody knew what manners was? Merlin had introduced himself so it was only right for the prat to give him his damn name.

At least then, Merlin would know who to avoid in the future.

"So, I don't know you." Arthur said plainly, giving Merlin a look that made him feel dirty. As if Merlin was nothing but scum under his boot.

"No." Merlin said simply, finally letting his hand fall to his side. It was clear that that blonde wasn't going to introduce himself any time soon.

He was clearly to full of himself to bother.

"But you called me friend." Arthur said plainly. Only a handful of people could actually call him a friend and this stranger wasn't one of them.

But then again, Arthur didn't really have friends to begin with. More like certain people he allowed to follow him around.

He was a prince, he didn't need something as common as friends. Just people who could distract him when he didn't have nothing better to do.

There was a beat of silence where Merlin just stared at the blonde prat. The arrogance coming off of him was something else entirely. It completely threw Merlin off guard, wondering how anybody could be so cocky.

For Merlin who had grown up in a small village where everybody had nothing, to meet someone who had everything literally handed to him on a silver platter, it was more jarring than you could believe.

The entire crowd was silent, watching and waiting to see what would happen between the two boys.

Morris had finally stood up and was now looking between the two as well.

Arthur didn't bother to acknowledge the crowd, even if he was fully aware of them. His eyes never left the boy's, his face smug. The prince couldn't think of anything more fun that humiliating the boy.

The boy had brought this upon himself, stepping in like he had. As if he could actually put a stop to anything that Arthur wanted to do. It was almost amusing that he had thought he could.

The boy with ears that looked to big for his head, sticking out the way that they were. The boy with, Arthur glanced down at his neck, was that a neckerchief? Who actually wore those anymore?

Merlin glanced around, feeling the stares of the crowd on him. He could feel an itch forming under his skin but it wasn't one that he could just scratch away and be done with.

Merlin finally turned away from the crowd to meet eyes with the prat again. "That was my mistake."

Arthur felt himself straighten up, smirking. At least this fool knew he had made a mistake, so he was at least smarter than he had originally thought. "I think so."

Merlin gave Arthur a brief look of disbelief, almost laughing because he hadn't realized somebody so rude could actually exist. He was just done with this. And since he was done, he didn't hold back as he said the first thing that came to mind. "Yeah, I'd never have a friend who could be such an arse."

Several people within hearing distance gave a startled gasp. Only a few of the braver people couldn't stop the choked off laughter that came spilling out. Morris' jaw dropped, gapping at the audacity that this boy had.

Arthur was startled for the briefest of moments before putting a look of cool, indifference on his face. The last thing he had been expecting was for the boy to actually talk back. When had somebody ever talked back to him?

Morgana maybe but she didn't count.

It was startling and different. The nerve that this peasant had...it was outrageous! That he thought that he could just show up out of nowhere, insult him, and then what, leave?

Wait, was he leaving?

Arthur watched in disbelief as the boy turned around, starting to walk away. Who did he think he was? The boy had insulted him. He was pretty sure he'd just been called an arse but it was taken him to a minute to process that.

Arthur had never once been called an arse in his life.

He felt his jaw lock, eyes zeroing in on back of the boy's faded brown jacket. Arthur almost felt like he was being dismissed, as if he wasn't worth this boy's time.

And that just pissed him off.

Arthur was the one that dismissed people when he was done with them. Not the other way around.

Merlin was walking away, already thinking about what else he could do with his afternoon. He was walking in the direction of Gaius' home but his mind was far away, trying to think of what else he wanted to do before he got there.

He was already putting the blonde prat out of mind, pushing it away as something he probably wouldn't even bother remembering by tomorrow. Guys like that? Merlin had better things to do then waste his time thinking about them.

Merlin knew of a few jerks in Ealdor, even if they weren't nearly as arrogant as the prat had been. Apparently, Camelot wasn't as different as he thought. Jerks were everywhere you went so Merlin wasn't going to waste his breath on him.

It wasn't like anything Merlin would say would stop him from being an arse.

Who knows, with any luck, he would never have to see the blonde again.

But of course, Merlin couldn't just make a smooth getaway.

Arthur took a step after him before bringing himself to a stop. It had felt to much like he was chasing after the boy, this Merlin. And he was the one that was sought after, not the one that chased.

So Arthur planted his feet firmly on the ground, bringing his hand up to the hilt of his blade. He wouldn't actually use it, not against an unarmed peasant, no matter how shockingly irritating he was. It was a rather effective scare tactic though.

"Or I, one who could be so stupid." He called out to the boy's back, a first for him since nobody had ever dared to walk away from him before.

Arthur paid no attention to the crowd who hushed, looking between the two boy's, a lot more nervous now that the prince had brought a hand to his sword.

Morris stepped back, almost disappearing in the crowd, his eyes flickering down to Arthur's hand on his sword. He didn't like where this looked like it was going. He was hoping he could disappear before he had to clean the boy's blood off the sword.

Merlin froze in mid-step, frowning in confusion when he saw the nervous faces of the people around him. It took him maybe a second longer than it should have to realize that Arthur had spoken to him. He turned around so fast, he almost tripped over his own boots.

Arthur swaggered up to Merlin, making sure to take his time. It felt less like chasing and more like making the boy wait on him, as he should.

Merlin stood stiff, eyes flickering between his face and his sword as Arthur got close, far to close. There was probably only a few inches between them now. Just another inch and the toes of their boots could have been touching.

Arthur didn't seem to notice though, to busy with his taunting. When he didn't say anything, Arthur continued, lips quirking up into what looked like a smile, but with a touch to much mocking for it to actually be genuine.

"Tell me, Merlin," he said his name a little to slowly, tongue rolling over the syllables. It would have made Merlin blush if he wasn't feeling the casual threat in Arthur's words. "Do you know how to walk on your knees?"

His friends behind him broke out into laughter. Merlin completely ignored them but Arthur had to stop himself from flinching. He had almost forgotten that they were there.

Merlin drew him eyes away from the hand on Arthur's sword and up to his eyes. "No." He said slowly.

"Well I suggest you learn." Arthur said cockily. From his tone of voice, it wasn't hard to tell that he would be more than happy to teach Merlin how to do so.

Merlin gave him a look, refusing to say anything. The look on his face was nothing less than pure contempt...such disrespect from a peasant. It almost sent a startling thrill down Arthur's spine.

But he didn't let it show on his face. The only thing Merlin could see was his arrogant smile. "Do you want me to help you?" The prince asked, fully intent on bringing this boy to where a peasant was supposed to be, on his knees groveling for forgiveness.

Merlin completely forget about the crowd, still watching them with the same attentiveness that they would have given a tournament. "I wouldn't if I were you." He said, a slightly dark undertone in his voice that not even Arthur picked up on.

But Arthur's grin widened, feeling a strange excitement in the pit of his stomach that he paid no attention to, to focused on the boy in front of him. "Why, what are you going to do to me?" He asked amused, almost daring the boy to do something.

Merlin started to grin, "You've no idea..." this blonde had absolutely no idea what Merlin could do to him. He could throw him several feet through the air before the prat even knew what hit him. He could make that sword of his get stuck in it's scabbard no matter how much the arse tried to pull it out. A thousand more ideas drifted in and out of his head, of all the things that he could do.

Arthur stretched his hands out, giving the peasant boy free range to try something, not even attempting to protect his body. "Be my guest." He took a full step closer, almost getting in Merlin's face, practically stepping on his toes.

Merlin was so startled by the sudden movement that he stepped back before he could stop himself. It was like whatever bravado he'd had a moment ago completely drained away as he was snapped back into reality, a reality where he could be killed if he'd done the things he had thought of doing.

Even though Merlin was slightly taller, Arthur was suddenly a lot more threatening than he seemed a minute ago. He almost seemed to tower over Merlin as he shrunk in on himself. He swallowed hard, staring into the blue eye's of the man looming over him.

Arthur looked down on the peasant boy, his amusement growing. He could practically see whatever confidence the boy had completely deflate. Good, a confident peasant couldn't had led to anything good. Now the boy would understand exactly where he belonged, under Arthur's feet.

When the boy still didn't say anything, Arthur decided to throw in some encouragement. "Come on!" He stepped closer, eyes lit with a perverse amusement, practically begging Merlin to try something.

Merlin nearly stumbled over his own feet, trying to step away fast enough. It was like he could suddenly feel the stares of the crowd on him. That itch under his skin came back full force and he brought his hand up to his other arm, trying to scratch through his threadbare jacket but all that did was irritate his skin.

Merlin could feel a small lump growing in his throat and he realized that he had to get out of there. He had seriously been considering using magic against the prat. In full view of everybody, damn the consequences.

The consequences being his death.

He'd never felt so tempted to use it against someone before. Just to wipe that cocky look off the prat's face.

He had to get out of here.

Merlin could feel his face burning with humiliation, it almost felt as if a stone was in his stomach.

Before he could do something that he'll regret, he spun around and started speed walking in the direction Gaius lived.

Arthur watched him go, grin bright on his face. Good. This time, the peasant wasn't walking away as if Arthur wasn't worth his time. This time, Arthur had shown him exactly who was boss.

He wouldn't be showing his face around again for a while, of that, Arthur was sure. But the prince couldn't help but throw in one last taunt to Merlin's back.

"Oh, is that it?"

There were a few laughs in the crowd. Arthur felt way to pleased when he saw Merlin's back stiffen. His friends behind him gave another bark of laughter and even though Arthur was laughing as well, he didn't acknowledge them. He had eyes only for the boy in front of him, his newest entertainment.

At the sound of the prat's laughter coming from behind him, Merlin felt something in him snap. He could feel the humiliation burning across his face, feel it going through every bone in his body.

What did this guy have to be so smug about?

Who actually laughed at being nothing less then cruel?

It's like the very air around him had stopped and all he could hear was the prat's laughter echoing in his eardrums. Louder and louder as everything else was muted out.

Merlin couldn't have stopped himself if he tried. It was happening before he'd even registered what exactly he was doing.

It didn't matter that Merlin had never punched someone before in his life. He clenched his bandaged fist, almost relishing in the slight sting from his cuts that it brought.

In one swift motion, Merlin had spun around on his heel. At the exactly same time, he swung his fist out, intent on smashing the prat straight in the jaw.

In retrospect, Merlin should have known that his hit would have never connected.

Merlin's punch had been awkward and clumsy. Anybody who wasn't as awkward and clumsy as himself would have been able to stop it.

Much swifter and with more ease then Merlin had thrown his punch, the prat had his wrist in hand. Merlin barely knew what was going on before he found his back to the prat, his arm twisted uncomfortably behind his back. His elbow had been bent and his fist was pressed between his shoulder blades in a way that he wouldn't have been able to do naturally. It was only able to now because the prat was holding him there.

Arthur held the boy's scrawny fist firmly behind his back. Merlin's wrist was smaller than he would have thought. It was almost like a girl's, thin and delicate. He could wrap his whole hand around it easily.

Merlin was struggling, trying to wiggle himself free. But no matter how hard he tried to break the grip on himself, it was clear that the prat was much stronger.

Arthur was surprised but didn't let it show on his face. Somebody had actually tried to punch him. Now wasn't that a novelty. The only time he'd ever been punched was during his hand-to-hand training.

Arthur had urged the boy to try something, practically tried to force him, dare him, into doing something. He hadn't actually expected him to try something. He'd expected the boy to run off crying for his mommy or something as equally amusing.

He'd been thrown off completely when the boy had actually tried to hit him.

But his reflexes had snapped in and that was where they were now. With Arthur easily pinning Merlin's arm behind his back.

Merlin could feel his face burning, the strong fingers wrapped firmly around his thin wrist. He could feel his rage and humiliation burning across his face. Only something like this could happen to him.

Due to their position, Arthur had to get close to Merlin. The blonde was practically right up against him and Arthur's mouth was right next to Merlin's ear.

Merlin could feel the prat's breath up against his ear. Even as the tip of his ear turned red, he realized that this was the first time he'd been so close to somebody before. He still felt a shiver of disgust go down his spine. Arthur's broad chest was practically up against Merlin's back.

Arthur didn't seem to notice anything odd though. It wasn't the first time he'd had someone in this particular hold before. It was one of the first moves he had learned when he started training. He'd done this move a thousand times before and had never thought anything of it.

Arthur's mouth was in the perfect position to talk into Merlin's ear. "I'll have you thrown in jail for that." It wouldn't be the first time he'd had somebody in jail overnight. It was definitely the first time he'd had someone in jail overnight because they had tried to punch him.

This whole interaction had been nothing less than a novelty to Arthur.

Merlin cringed, feeling the warm breath against his ear. He tried to yank free again but the prat's hand wouldn't budge. It was like a vice, easily trapping him in place without a second thought.

Merlin wouldn't go quietly though, not taking the threat as seriously as he should have. "Who do you think you are, the king?" He spat out.

Arthur's eyes widened just a bit, unnoticeable to the silent crowd. Didn't he know who he was? How could he not know who he was? Everybody in Camelot could recognize their prince on sight. It was practically offensive if they didn't.

But Arthur wasn't offended.

Well, maybe just a little. How in all of the five kingdoms did this one peasant boy not know who he was?

Arthur was mainly surprised. He'd never met someone who hadn't recognized him on sight. Somebody like him wasn't hard to ignore and that wasn't just him bragging.

He was the best swordsman in the land.

His knights admired him and the peasants wanted to be him.

Many noble women were interested in becoming his queen.

He was handsome to boot.

He was going to make sure that this peasant boy remembered him even if Arthur wouldn't remember him.

So he leaned in, making sure to enunciate his words, to really let the reality of the boy's mistake sink in. "No, I'm his son, Arthur."

And just like that, Merlin's world imploded on itself.

Arthur smirked, drawing back slightly as he felt the boy freeze against him. Good, now he would know who he was dealing with. Now, he would know just how big of a mistake he had made when he tried to go against him. Now, he would never forget who Arthur was.

And wasn't that something else.

He had no doubt in his mind that the boy would always remember this as one of the biggest mistakes in his life.

Merlin wasn't thinking that though but that was only because he wasn't thinking at all. His mind was completely blank, unable to comprehend what he'd just heard.

Had the prat said his name was Arthur? Not just Arthur because for all Merlin knew, it could be a popular name, but The Arthur.

Arthur as in Uther's son.

Arthur as in the boy that Merlin was to marry.

This couldn't be happening. Not to him but hey, why wouldn't it? The universe had never seemed to care about pulling the punches with him, why would it now?

Of course the boy he'd just tried to punch would be Arthur.

Of course he would try to punch Arthur who was being a bully.

Leon hadn't been lying when he said Arthur didn't treat his own people well. No wonder Uncle Gaius hadn't wanted to tell him anything about him.

His uncle hadn't been wanting to set him up for disappointment.

But that was exactly what Merlin was feeling.

A disappointment that went down into his very veins. It was like a disgusting blob of weight was settling in his stomach and tears prickled under his eyes.

He was supposed to marry this guy? This guy who was holding him firmly into place, refusing to give him an inch of space.

Whatever little bit of hope Merlin may had still carried about this marriage completely evaporated in that moment.

There would be no happy ending.

No sharing his secrets.

No epic love, not that he'd been expecting that one but it would have been a nice dream.

Now, the dream was over and Merlin felt as if he was living in a nightmare.

His lungs were aching because he had forgotten to breathe, to caught up in the horror of his reality.

"On your knees," Arthur said calmly. Then he gave a firm kick to the back of Merlin's legs, making him drop to his knees like a stone. He hit the ground hard with a grunt, landing on the cobblestone.

Everything seemed to come back to Merlin in a rush. He could feel the light breeze on his skin, hear the light mumbles in the crowd, feel the rough stone under him. Everything seemed to echo around him louder than it normally would have.

It was like an overload of sensations as everything seemed to build up around him.

Arthur finally let his wrist go but only because his three friends he'd been laughing with was now surrounding him.

"We can take him to the dungeons, Arthur." One of them said, a smirk on his face that was as arrogant as Arthur's own.

Arthur stepped back with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest. He gave Markus a single nod, eyes focused on the small bundle of a boy on the ground.

Markus bent over, roughly grabbing Merlin by his upper arm, dragging him to his feet. Arthur watched, ignoring the started yelp that the boy gave when he was pulled up.

The two lackey's quickly stepped up on the other side of him in case he tried to make a run for it.

But they didn't have to worry about Merlin running. He wasn't scared or worried about the knights bringing him to the dungeon. He had retreated into himself again.

All he could feel was his heart falling into his stomach. All he could feel was the disappointment and disgust. How was he supposed to be happy married to a royal prat?

Simple.

He was never going to be happy. Not like you should be when you're getting married. Not like you should be when you think of the person you're choosing to spend the rest of your life with.

But that was the thing, wasn't it? Merlin hadn't chosen this. The choice had been taken out of his hands long before he'd been born. But it was a choice that he was going to have to live with anyway.

Arthur watched amused as Merlin was dragged away towards the castle. He was sure that he had made one hell of an impression on the boy. If they ever met again, then Merlin would know exactly where his place was.

And that place wasn't someone who was permitted to talk to Arthur.

It still blew his mind when he thought about all of this. First, the audacity this peasant had to throw a punch at someone who was obviously his better. Even if he didn't know who Arthur was personally, he had to know that Arthur clearly outranked him.

With his clean clothes tailored to fit him perfectly, his armor shoulder guard strapped into place, and the gleaming sword strapped to his waist. Not to mention his clean hair, straight teeth, and dust free skin.

Arthur was obviously the higher rank between the two of them.

Maybe the kid was just a moron, Arthur decided. He had to be a simpleton for not noticing just how important he was. That had to be the reason why Merlin had tried to hit him.

He was a simpleton and didn't know any better.

Arthur doubted that Merlin would try it again if they ran into each other sometime. He could almost taste the sweet victory another meeting would bring.

He could imagine it now.

Merlin knew exactly who he was now. He would probably get on his knees and grovel for forgiveness. He would spill apologies over and over again for not realizing who he was. Beg for mercy over trying to hit the prince of Camelot.

He almost couldn't wait for their next meeting, completely convinced at what he guessed would happen. He couldn't wait to see the mouthy peasant be humble before his prince.

Seeing that the crowd of onlookers were starting to disperse and his friends were taking the peasant away, Arthur started to walk away as well. He was already putting the peasant out of mind, he had better things to do than think about peasants.

Even specifically mouthy ones.

Like training. Maybe there were some knights on the training field that he could get some practice in with.

As Arthur walked towards the training fields and Merlin was being dragged across the courtyard, neither boy realized something. That up until Arthur had said his name, it was the first time that either of them had completely forgotten about their wedding.

Sure, during brief periods of time they had been able to push it to the back of their minds. But not this time. This time, it had been completely forgotten about.

At least until Arthur mentioned his name and it was a forceful reminder to Merlin.

The crowd was starting to split off. Some headed for their homes and others were hurrying to get back to their chores or jobs. Although some of the younger adolescents were running off with purpose, to spread the news of the mouthy peasant that had dared to talk back to Arthur.

Something nobody had ever done before.

Nobody noticed Morris standing in the crowd. He was the only one that hadn't ran off somewhere. In fact, he was standing stock still, staring off into space as he remembered the scene that had just happened in his head.

Glancing around, Morris frowned because nobody was paying him the least bit of attention. Even though it was degrading, Morris had sometimes liked it when Arthur started something in public.

It usually got him sympathy. Somebody would approach him afterwards to ask if he was okay or would offer him something to make him feel better.

Morris always bit back his retort over how the person should have just given it to him to begin with. That there was no reason to have idle conversations because he wasn't interested. He just wanted the free stuff and for them to be gone.

He wasn't high enough in the 'food chain' yet to mouth off to people giving him free stuff.

But now, nobody had even glanced at him. He was completely invisible, he could see it in the ways that people bumped him as they hurried by, their eyes glancing over him before darting away. As if he was just another face in the crowd and not someone that was regularly mistreated by Arthur.

Someone that they had all had sympathy for just days earlier.

Morris felt his jaw lock, his hands clenching into fists at his side.

He deserved to be showered with attention!

But now, all of the attention was on that boy! He could hear the mutterings of the people as they passed him by.

"Who was that boy?"

"I can't believe he stood up to Prince Arthur!"

"I can't wait to tell my friends! They're not gonna believe me!"

"He actually tried to punch him! Who hasn't thought of doing that and he actually tried?!"

Morris' eyes narrowed on Merlin's back. He was already all the way across the courtyard, being dragged into the castle.

Morris swallowed hard, eyes like fire.

Whoever that boy was, he was trouble. Morris didn't like trouble.

Inside the castle, Merlin was being led down the hallway. Markus had a tight grip on his upper elbow, practically dragging him faster than his feet could keep up.

But Merlin didn't notice to much. He was feeling numb, eyes dull as he stared at the ground. He had been absolutely humiliated in front of half the city. His so called 'fiancé' was having him thrown in the dungeon.

What else could possibly go wrong today?

"I can't believe he thought he could beat Arthur!" Markus suddenly snorted, like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

"Yeah!" One of the lackey's on Merlin's other side laughed. "I mean, look at his arms!"

Merlin felt the humiliation set in again. He almost wanted to cover himself but he had no idea what was so funny about his arms.

"Look at this," Markus said, practically shoving Merlin around so that the lackey's could see where he had a death grip on his arm. "I can literally wrap my entire hand around his bicep."

"If you can call it a bicep." The second lackey snorted, making the other two crackle with laughter. Red started creeping up Merlin's neck to stain his cheeks. So he was thin, he knew that. It happens when you grow up in a poor village with barely any food.

The three knights kept talking about Merlin as if he wasn't even there. They had absolutely no concern about him listening in to their conversation. As far as they were concerned, Merlin wasn't worth more attention than what making fun of him to each other gave them.

"This guy has got to have some kind of mental affliction, right?" The second lackey asked eagerly. "To try and attack Arthur, right?" Merlin flinched at the sound of the prince's name but nobody seemed to notice.

Markus latched onto that sentence like a leech, "Yeah, it's called being a simpleton!"

The two lackey's crackled with laughter while Merlin wondered what was so funny. Surely calling him a simpleton wasn't that hilarious. But if you asked any of the other boys, it was like it was the funniest joke ever told.

"Yeah, yeah!" The first lackey exclaimed, trying to get in on the blatant bullying, "Like, I'm just gonna go punch the prince!"

He crackled with laughter as if he was hilarious. But Merlin and the other two boys just watched him with unimpressed looks, making his laughter die down awkwardly.

That was how the next few minutes went. Markus and his buddies making fun of him, getting more and more cruel with their comments. Merlin was largely ignoring them but that was only because he was tuning them out. His mind was stuck on Arthur.

Arthur who wasn't kind.

Arthur who obviously wasn't going to treat him well.

Arthur who really was just a bullying prat.

Hell, he wasn't even handsome! Sure, some people would probably say he was but his entire attitude made Merlin see nothing but a grotesque beast in place of where a human being should have been.

They were almost to the dungeons when Markus made a particularly scathing comment on Merlin's physique again. It finally brought Merlin out of his thoughts and he honestly wasn't sure which was worst.

His reality of these goons dragging him to the dungeons.

Or his thoughts on his future with a man like Arthur.

Markus was grabbing the old, metal, hoop that was used as a handle of the door when they heard the subtle cough.

All four boys froze in place.

"Markus," Leon said sternly from behind them. He had his arms crossed, he had no emotion on his face whatsoever, "What exactly are you doing with him?"

Merlin didn't even bother trying to hide his face, although he sure wanted to in this moment. Could this day get even worst? Of course Leon would be the one to come across them.

Markus scowled at Leon. He had never liked the older knight. He was to by the book, to strict. He didn't participate in making fun of the peasants or hanging out with the guys.

Markus always had the funny feeling that Leon looked down on him although the older knight had never gave any actual indication that he felt that way.

Under Leon's stare, Markus shook Merlin a little by the grip he had on his arm, making the boy yelp at the sudden jostling. "We're just taking this troublemaker for an overnight stay in the dungeons."

Leon raised an eyebrow, giving Merlin a look. What trouble could the boy have possibly gotten himself into to end up in the dungeons? He hadn't been here that long.

Merlin looked sheepish, the red creeping up the back of his neck.

Leon's eyes fell onto the grip that Markus had on Merlin's arm. It was far tighter than it actually had to be for one unarmed peasant boy. Leon scowled, Markus was over-extorting his authority again.

"Well, I believe that I can escort the...prisoner," he said the word slowly. "The rest of the way."

Markus scowled, puffing out his chest, "But I volunteered to bring him. I should see it through." He argued.

Leon gave him a look. It didn't surprise him in the least that Markus had volunteered for 'escorting a prisoner'. He always went around asserting what little authority he had over the few people he could do it to. Markus had the bad habit of thinking he was more important than he actually was.

But Leon was much higher than Markus in terms of status. Leon was an older and more senior knight. He didn't take crap from the younger knights who had just made it to knighthood.

The only thing Markus had going for him was his friendship with Arthur. And really, that wasn't saying much. He wasn't that impressive of a knight. He could do the job but Leon had seen other knights that were much better skilled.

"I believe, Sir Markus," Leon said slowly. "You will find that I am equally as qualified to escort a 'troublemaker' as you say, to the dungeons."

Markus' eyes flashed, "But I really think-"

"I think," Leon cut him off. "That you must have so many more important things to do. Escorting a troublemaker seems to be a bit..." He stopped to give Markus a clear once over, "Below you."

Merlin glanced between Markus and Leon, the two lackey's watching just as curiously. 'He can't be dumb enough to actually believe this, can he?' Merlin thought.

But then Markus straightened up, smirk flashing on his face. "You are absolutely right, Sir Leon. I shouldn't have to escort the common people." he said with self-importance, saying the last words as if it were trash. "You are more than welcome to take over."

Markus didn't bother to consider the fact that Sir Leon was a more senior knight than he was. That if Markus was high enough that he didn't have to deal with the common people, Leon shouldn't even be disgraced with their mere presence.

Markus finally let Merlin go, stepping away now that he didn't have to bother with something as disgusting as a peasant.

Merlin frowned, bringing his hand up to rub the circulation back into his arm. Okay, maybe the knight was dumb enough to believe it. And here Merlin was, thinking that knights were supposed to be smart.

Then again, look at Arthur. He clearly wasn't the brightest hay in the stack.

When Markus stepped back, Leon took his place beside Merlin. The knight put his hand on Merlin's shoulder, grip heavy but loose, not holding him into place like Markus had.

"Well we will leave you to it." Markus said, snapping his fingers at his two lackey's to follow him, as if they were dogs. The bad thing was the two men actually jumped to attention, practically falling over each other to follow him down the hallway.

"...I can't believe that just happened." Merlin said dryly, not taking his eyes off the backs of the knights as they left.

"You and me both," Leon grumbled, giving Merlin a stern look. "So, are you coming, 'Mr. Troublemaker'?" He started walking, guiding Merlin away from the dungeons.

Merlin followed him down the hallway before he realized that they were going in the direction away from the dungeons instead of towards. He pulled to a stop, "Wait, we're not going to the dungeons?"

Leon gave him a look, "Would you prefer the dungeons? Because I do believe the royal wing has much more comfortable accommodations."

Merlin ducked his head, "Okay, I'm sure upstairs is better but," he glanced over at Leon. "Why exactly are you not taking me to the dungeons?"

Leon scoffed, "Because I doubt whatever you did was serious. You're not exactly the criminal mastermind type."

"Wh-what?" Merlin sputtered, throwing his arms out. "I-I could totally be the cri-criminal mastermind type." Leon gave him a look, making Merlin's shoulders sag. "Okay, so I'm not a criminal mastermind." He admitted.

"Which brings us to my question," Leon said, leading them up the main staircase. "What exactly did you do to end up in the dungeon?"

"I may have..." Merlin started slowly, buying himself some time while he brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck. From the look Leon was giving him, it was clear that he knew exactly what Merlin was doing. "I may have tried to punch a prat in the face." He scowled at the memory of Arthur's smug face, feeling the disappointment briefly stab at his heart.

"Did you now?" Leon said surprised. He hadn't really thought Merlin was the violent type. "And that was what led to your arrest?"

Merlin nodded sullen.

"Well did you tell them who you are?" Leon asked.

That brought Merlin to a stop, "Who I am?" He asked blankly. "I told them my name." He had introduced himself just before Arthur showed just how much of a prat he was. First he was bullying that servant boy, then he had Merlin thrown in the dungeons.

Sure, Merlin could admit that objectively, he deserved it since he had been trying to punch a prince in the face. But he would insist till his dying breath that Arthur deserved that punch as well, prince or not.

Leon gave the boy a dry look, "I meant," he said slowly. "Did you tell them that you were Prince Arthur's betrothed before they tried to lock you up?"

Merlin's brows furrowed together in his confusion as they walked further down the hall. "Why would I tell them that? I don't exactly want to go around advertising it."

Leon wanted to slap himself on the forehead but he was to dignified to do that. Or maybe he just wanted to throttle Merlin for his stupidity. "Because," he said slowly. "They wouldn't be so inclined to throw you in a cell if they knew that they could upset the royal family. Which could happen if Prince Arthur's husband to be is thrown in the dungeon."

Merlin snorted, shaking his head. "I doubt that would have stopped him from ordering me to the dungeons." He brought his hand up to his wrist, the same wrist that Arthur had held behind his back.

He was more than a prat. He was nothing less than a huge arse. Albeit a royal one, but still an arse.

Leon glanced over at him, lips turning down into a confused frown. "Him? The one that you tried to punch?" Merlin nodded, looking sulky. "Who was it? I'm sure once you're married to the prince, he'll be horrified to realize what he did."

Merlin hunched his shoulders up to his ears, stuffing his hands as far into his pockets as he could get them. "Let's just say...you were right about Arthur."

It took Leon an embarrassingly long minute to connect the dots. And when he did, his jaw dropped open a little. "Wait, it was 'Arthur' that ordered you to be taken to the dungeon!"

Merlin scowled down at the ground, not paying any real attention to where they were going.

Leon looked at Merlin for a second longer, the surprise still lingering on his face. When Merlin didn't say anything, Leon turned to look ahead of where they were walking up the next staircase. They were almost to the royal wing now.

"I mean, I know Arthur probably wouldn't be happy," Leon grumbled under his breath. "But to have you thrown in the dungeons like that, just after you met!" What was Arthur thinking? What would the people think if word got out that Arthur had his own fiancé arrested.

"He didn't know it was me." Merlin defended defensively, finally picking his head up from where he was glaring holes into the floor. He bit his lip harshly to stop himself from talking when he realized what he was doing.

That got Leon's attention, and he turned his head to look down at the smaller man, a frown of confusion on his lips.

Merlin gave a heavy sigh, sounding far to weary someone his age should. "He didn't know that it was me." He repeated quietly. "I mean, he didn't realize that it was me he's marrying. Honestly, I didn't know it was him either at first."

"Okay, so what exactly happened?" Leon asked quietly. Was this going to be a regular thing? The boy had only been in Camelot for a day. It didn't set off a good start to a new life.

"Ugh! He's just so-so...ugh!" Merlin suddenly exclaimed loudly, making Leon jumped startled. Merlin brought his hands up in front of his chest, moving his fingers as if he was squeezing something that wasn't there. Or imagining that there was something there to squeeze, like Arthur's head. "He was being a complete prat to this guy! All I did was step in and stop it." He groaned heavily, throwing his hands out in front of him. "It all just happened so fast. One minute he was mocking me, the next, I was throwing a punch. That was when..."

"When..." Leon encouraged him to finish.

Merlin ducked his head, "He told me his name."

"Ah." Leon said simply, turning to look straight ahead. Why did it not surprise him in the least that Merlin had met his betrothed by trying to hit him. Merlin had never struck him as the violent type but then again, Arthur could give off that arrogant vibe sometimes that made people want to punch him.

But Merlin had to be the first one to ever try.

Arthur's personal trainers were particularly tough and went hard on him to get him up to snuff. Most of the common knights though, pulled their blows sometimes in fear that Arthur might retaliate. Even Leon had pulled back a time or two, not that the blonde had ever noticed, to busy crowing about his victory.

The last thing anybody wanted was to cause the prince offense.

And here Merlin was, a common peasant that had done what nobody else had dared to do before.

Leon had no doubt that he failed. After all, Arthur was well trained in defending himself. But the fact that he'd even tried was mind blowing.

The two boys walked the rest of the way in silence, to lost in their thoughts, as they finally reached the royal hallway.

Merlin glanced up, looking at one of the door's as they passed it by. Arthur's room. It had been hard enough imagining trying to sleep in his new fancy room before he actually knew who Arthur was. How was he supposed to do it now that he knew just how infuriating the prat was?

Merlin let a frustrated breath out before purposely turning his head, refusing to look at it any longer. He would just have to get used to having an arse for a neighbor, an arse he'd be married to. At least they didn't have to live in the same room. Merlin would probably put a pillow over the prat's face in his sleep if he even so much as snored.

"Well, here it is." Leon suddenly said, as they stopped outside his new door.

"Oh, thanks," Merlin said quietly, putting a hand on the door handle to push it open. He was just about the step inside when he looked at Leon over his shoulder. "Oh, and uh, thanks, for getting me out of the dungeons."

"Don't thank me," Leon said dryly. "People think you've been brought to the dungeon so it's probably best that you stay in here until morning at least. Think of it like...house arrest."

Merlin's jaw dropped open, "B-but...there's nothing to do in here!"

Leon smirked a little, "Well I can assure you, there's nothing to do in the dungeons either. As least in here, you have privacy and an actual bed."

Merlin still tried to protest but all Leon did was reach past him and grabbed the door handle. Merlin was still protesting even as Leon shut the door in his face.

Then he could hear Leon's chuckles before his footsteps faded down the hallway.

Merlin groaned, dropping his head to let it bang on the door.

After a minute of standing there and cursing his bad luck, Merlin finally stepped away from the door and glanced around his room. It was exactly as he remembered it, way to fancy and big for just him.

It was mid-afternoon now and the sun was streaming in through the windows.

Merlin walked across his room to his windows and looked out through the glass. He spent several minutes glancing over the people before he realized that he was searching for Arthur.

Only the prat had long since left the courtyard.

Face scrunching up in disgust at himself when he realized he was actually trying to seek the arse out, Merlin pushed away from his window and threw himself onto his back on the bed. His legs hung off the edge, his feet hovering just above the floor.

Barely a minute had passed before he groaned irritated. He'd forgotten how damn soft this bed was.

He dragged his arm over his eyes, blocking out the bright sunlight streaming down on him.

Great, now what was he supposed to do?