With a wary soul and my teeth digging into my bottom lip, I hesitantly grabbed Arthur's outstretched hand and allowed him to pull me up from where I was sitting on his bed. He led me to stand at the centre of his room and he gently placed his other hand on the small of my back, drawing me closer to his body. Then he gave me a warm smile that melted my insides and caused my face to heat up. But despite this involuntary reaction, I still felt concerned about the new adventure he was proposing.
"I dunno, Art. One of us is gonna end up with a broken toe, or ten," I mumbled.
"No one is going to break anything, Astra. I promise," he responded as he leaned his forehead against mine. I raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I trust you! It's me I don't trust," I replied and he gave me a questioning look. "I mean, you look up clumsy in a dictionary and it's gonna show a picture of me!"
He chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose, causing me to scrunch up my face at the foreign sensation. "We will take it slow."
"Fine, but let's at least do this outside where we can fall on grass instead of hard wood," I suggested.
"We are not going to fall," Arthur claimed. Then he turned his head to look out the window, frowning slightly as he pointed out, "Besides, it is raining, my love."
Sure enough, lightning illuminated the far distance and thunder boomed through the kingdom as the clouds let water flow freely past their gates, nurturing the Earth with a cooling embrace.
"Even better! I love rain!" I chirped.
"It is slippery," he countered. "And muddy."
I pushed away from his chest and tugged on his arm. "You don't have to keep sweetening the deal, Peaches!"
He huffed, but complied anyway and followed me out of his room as he claimed, "You are the craziest person I have ever met."
"I thought that'd been established long ago!"
Two minutes later, we stepped out into the pouring rain, huddling close together as we hurried towards one of the many gardens; figuring that we could use the natural cover provided by a big tree in the middle of it to shield us from the falling evening sky.
I turned to face Arthur once we reached the desired spot and I felt a huge grin forming on my lips as I paused to take in his current state. His hair was soaked, making his golden locks stick to his forehead in a way that made him look absolutely breath-taking; stray streams of water cascaded down his face; and the dampness caused his white v-neck shirt to mould tightly to his muscular torso.
In simpler terms – he looked hot a.f., and the sight created a bubbling sensation in my stomach and a stream of lava in my veins.
Unable to stop myself, I stood on my tippy-toes and reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, gently pulling his head down so that I could bring our lips together. A contented hum left him as he rounded my waist with his strong arms, the closeness of our bodies creating a thin layer of heat between us even as the wind and the remaining coolness from the earthly shower we took continued to bring out goosebumps.
By the time we reluctantly pulled apart to gasp for air, any bit of cold I'd been feeling had been swept away by Arthur's natural warmth.
"All right, sunshine. Teach me how to slow-dance," I said with a grin.
"Sunshine?" he echoed with a breathless chuckle while giving my body a gentle squeeze. "That is a new one."
"Gotta keep things interesting," I responded and shot him a wink.
He laughed and placed another soft kiss on my lips before he removed his hands from my waist and reached to the back of his neck to grab my hands. He kept my right one in his and he guided my left to rest on his shoulder, then he placed his own on the small of my back.
"Just follow my lead now," he commanded.
"I'll try," I mumbled in reply as I let my head drop so that I could watch his feet.
Arthur slowly took a step forwards, so I mirrored his movement, causing our legs to knock.
"Ouch."
"No, you are supposed to do the opposite," he pointed out with a chuckle.
"Right." Stupid me.
He kissed my forehead before trying again. He took a step forwards with his left foot, so I stiffly took one backwards with my right, allowing him to cover the space I was previously occupying. I glanced up for any hint of approval and watched as the smile on his lips grew. "Good," he said in a soft voice, causing my heart to flutter, before he took a diagonal step with his right foot. I followed with my right. He brought his feet together again and I mirrored his actions. "See? You are not half-bad at this."
A moment later, he was holding me tightly against his chest after I tripped over my own feet while attempting to follow another diagonal move with the wrong foot. "You were sayin'?"
"It takes time, darling," he commented as he steadied me.
Arthur started up the supposedly simple dance again, this time even more slowly as the rain continued to pour down around our small safe haven.
"Who taught ya' how to dance, anyway? Utah?" I asked with a playful smirk and I giggled as I pictured the late king trying to teach his son how to dance. I can't imagine it would've been too pleasant for either.
He chuckled, his shoulder slightly shaking under my hand as he did so. "No, I had a teacher when I was eight years old."
"I never took ya' for an artsy boy."
"I am not, but it is an important skill to have as a Prince, and King," he responded and I nodded in understanding. "How come you never learnt?"
"'Cause people in America don't slow-dance anymore, sadly," I answered. "It's been replaced by twerking," I added in a mumble and grimaced a little.
He steadied me once more when I tripped again and I growled in frustration.
"Easy, you are doing great," Arthur reassured me with another kiss to the forehead. My heart skipped a beat as I looked up at him and we shared a small grin. "Let us try again."
"'Kay."
Once more, he began to lead and I followed to the best of my abilities, our eyes connecting every so often as I glanced between our feet and his enchanting blue eyes. I was pleased to find that he didn't look one bit annoyed. Quite the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying himself as his warm smile never left him, even when I tripped over his foot and caused him to stumble for a second.
I gasped, "Sorry!"
Arthur chuckled again as he steadied both of us and he let my hand fall before wrapping both his arms tightly around me, resting his cheek over my head. His internal radiator protected me from the blowing winds and the blasting rains that were cleansing our surroundings and I sighed in contentment. I wrapped my arms around his waist as I nuzzled into his chest.
"I cannot wait to marry you," he stated.
I pressed a kiss over his heart and whispered, "Me neither."
I followed a happy-looking Merlin up the stairs to his room, feeling a mix of amusement and confusion while I giggled at his overboarding excitement. He'd dragged me out of the council chamber – where Arthur and I had been discussing entrées with Arsène – without a word, then he'd briefly explained that he has a surprise for me before taking me to Gaius's apartment.
"Ready?" he asked with a goofy grin as he stopped before his door and turned to face me.
"Yep!" I responded with a smile, knowing that whatever he's hiding is guaranteed to be good, given how excited he seems.
He flung the door open and my jaw dropped when my eyes fell on an antique gramophone that sat on his bed. Next to it was a cardboard box containing a bunch of vinyl records. I took a few slow steps towards the machine and analysed it carefully. A flower-shaped gold-coated sound horn, a worn hand-crank that suggests it has been operated countless times, and a carefully crafted dark wooden turntable. The small 'T.A' carved to the side gave away the final and most important clue: this is my great-grandfather's gramophone! (Which was passed onto my grandfather, and then onto my father).
I turned to face Merlin again. "What? When? How? Who?" spewed out of my mouth, my brain seemingly too shocked by the object on the bed to form proper sentences.
My brother chuckled before responding, "Arthur asked me to contact your family and invite them to your wedding; so I used your tiny machine to send a letter to Leo and explain everything that is happening."
Hope rose in my chest, causing my heart-rate to speed up. Will my family be coming to my wedding?!
Merlin must've sensed my thoughts because his features quickly produced an apologetic look. "Leo said that he cannot allow them to time-travel, but he sent these on behalf of Oliver," he motioned towards the gramophone and records, "stating in a letter that you might be able to get away with using them."
I blinked rapidly while my head spun as it carefully turned over his words. Then a big smile formed on my lips and I jumped to hug him. "Thanks, Merls! This is awesome!"
We set the gramophone on the floor and browsed through the records that were sent along with it. I realised that most of them are my father's, along with a couple ones I bought for myself at some point, and a 'Highwayman' record that had a post-it note on it that read: 'countryrock'. No doubt from Oliver.
I smiled as a wave of contentment passed through me. It may sound strange, but these things have always made me feel close to my father, in a way. If I can convince Arthur to let me use the machine to play music at the wedding, I'll be able to have a piece of him with me. As close as he can get to walking me down the aisle...
Wishing to test to see that the gramophone works well, I pulled out the first record that my fingers fell on – 'The Game' by Queen – and I placed it on the turntable, then I let the needle fall on it and winded the crank before sitting back beside Merlin and linking my arm with his as sound began to emerge.
I made eye-contact with my brother and we shared a beaming smile. It works, all right. And it works beautifully! As I watched the record spin, I wondered why I didn't think to bring it with me years ago when I returned to Texas for the first time. All my friends would be rock fans by now!
Gaius showed up at the door, watching us with a quirked eyebrow.
"Look at what Merlin got for me, Pops!" I chirped and waved him over.
The elderly man crouched beside the gramophone and he inspected it with a look of fascination upon his features, a smile gradually growing on his face. "This is simply marvellous!" he exclaimed as he glanced up at my brother and I.
"I know! And it's purely mechanical, so we can show it 'round without being hung for using magic!"
Gaius chuckled softly and he placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently, before he moved to sit on Merlin's bed, his eyes once more fixing on the musical machine as it continued to play the record upon it.
At some point, I began to sing along, nodding my head and drumming my hands on my knees while pure bliss filled my heart.
"Oh! We've gotta show this to Arthur!" I said once the entire record had played and I jumped to my feet before taking off down the stairs in a sprint, leaping over the last three steps before rushing over to the King's room.
Some two minutes later, I was dragging Arthur into Merlin's room, similarly to the way in which the latter had done to me some fifty minutes prior. "Look! Isn't Merls just the best?!" I exclaimed as I showed him the gramophone.
Arthur grinned down at me for a second before crouching to analyse the machine, just like Gaius did earlier. I exchanged a grin with my brother and my father/grandpa figure before the three of us returned our attention to the King, who stood back up not much later.
"What does it do?" he inquired as he looked down at me again.
"It plays music!" I responded.
He raised a quizzical eyebrow, which caused me to playfully roll my eyes before I kneeled down next to the gramophone. I removed 'The Game' and pulled another random record from the box, this time 'Circle Of Love' by Steve Miller Band. I rewinded the crank, moved the needle, and stood back up; holding onto Arthur's arm as the music began to play anew.
Arthur turned to face me with widening eyes that could've dropped off his face and I gulped.
Oh, heck! Perhaps I was too naive in thinking that he would comprehend that the machine is mechanical!
"It's not magic, I swear," I quickly blurted out, gaining wary looks from Merlin and Gaius.
The King tilted his head and frowned. "I was not thinking that."
"Good, 'cause it's not."
"I believe you."
I nodded awkwardly before returning my gaze to the machine, biting down on my bottom lip as I gathered the strength to say what I really wanted to say in regards to the gramophone.
"Uh… Artie?"
He kissed the top of my head as he wrapped one of his strong arms around my waist. "Yes, my love?"
" I was hoping we could use it for the wedding..."
"Of course. We can do anything you want to," he responded.
I grinned as I looked up at him. "Even make it a PJ-party?"
"Maybe not anything," he responded with a playful eye-roll, causing me to giggle. He kissed my forehead and anchored me to his side again.
My eyes found Merlin's just as the song was ending and I rushed to hug him once more as I whispered, "Thanks again, bud. You're the greatest person ever."
"That thing is going to follow me from here onwards, is it not?" I heard Arthur ask while my brother and I still clung to each other.
"I am afraid so," Gaius responded, causing Merlin and I to share a giggle.
Just as predicted, Arthur soon found that the gramophone became an almost permanent fixture at Astraea's side – like an extra organ tasked with keeping a permanent smile upon her naturally red lips.
Music played constantly during the waking hours of the day for the rest of the week, brightening the atmosphere for everyone within earshot. The King found himself quite liking the tunes, something he hadn't been expecting, but they just remind him too much of Astra's personality – unpredictable, lively and passionate.
After so many years of hearing her constantly singing intriguing songs, he felt strangely elated to finally be able to understand what it is about music that makes her soul so happy.
He wasn't at all surprised when the knights became quick fans of it. They have gradually started to learn the lyrics to some of the songs, they have picked favourites, and they have encouraged Astraea's efforts to always have music playing in the background; something that he could tell, by the glimmer in her entrancing eyes, means the world to her.
If sacrificing his sanity to repeated ear-worms means that he can see that bright smile on her face all day, he will do so willingly and without hesitation.
Such thoughts spun in his mind as he watched her from his seat at his desk.
She sat on his bed with her back propped up against some pillows and her knees tucked close to her chest with a sudoku booklet resting on her lap, her right hand busy with operating a pencil over the page while her left lay over Salem's back as the cat cuddled beside her, her fingers gently tapping to the rhythm of 'Read My Mind' by The Killers while she sang along under her breath.
Arthur was supposed to be going over some reports regarding the kingdom's finances, but his focus kept on drifting towards his girl, something she seemed completely oblivious to as she concentrated on the song and on the numbers before her.
The King's smile grew when she shifted slightly to adjust her Avengers blanket around her shoulders, a barely-noticeable shiver passing through her as the cool October weather seeped through the stone walls.
He felt completely enamoured with this version of her. Raw and unfiltered. Obviously, he loves the goofy personality that she always carries with her when she's interacting with others, and how she's always trying to make people laugh – or scowl, if your name is Agravaine – even at her own expense. But, more than that, he loves watching her while she is lost in her own little world and not acting in a seemingly calculated manner that seeks to keep everyone around her happy.
Realising that he was fighting a losing battle with trying to keep his mind off her, Arthur set the documents aside and stood up, then he walked up to the bed. He took off his shoes and crawled onto the mattress, moving to lie down next to Astraea.
She didn't acknowledge him, so he decided to be more explicit in his demand for attention. He snuck one of his arms under hers and draped it over her stomach while his other arm was used to support his head – since she stole all his pillows in an effort to keep her back comfortable. He nuzzled into the side of her ribcage and he felt her shiver under his touch, which extracted a smirk from him.
Arthur's electrifying presence caused my attention to divert from the Sudoku puzzle I was close to finishing. I raised an eyebrow at him, feeling half-annoyed that he dared to interrupt my brain work-out by sending a kaleidoscope of butterflies up my spine; while the other half of me wanted nothing more than to melt in his warm presence.
The latter half won when he gave me a sweet smile, which my face automatically mirrored. I let out a sigh and placed my pencil inside the booklet before closing it and placing it on the nightstand. Then I stretched out my legs and patted my abdomen. Arthur grinned and he instantly moved to place his head on it. My hand instinctively moved towards his soft hair and I started to run my fingers gently through it.
Salem didn't seem too happy having to share my affections, because he stood up with a 'meow' that sounded a lot like a complaint and he jumped off the bed before jumping onto the desk and lying down atop some documents.
"Interesting. Your brother doesn't like you," I noted with a head-tilt as I stared at the cat.
Arthur scrunched up his face as he looked up at me. "My brother?"
"Well, yeah. I got 'em for your dad, which makes him his son, which makes him your brother," I explained with a nonchalant shrug. He seemed extremely weirded out as he raised his eyebrows. "Don't worry, Artie, he won't try to usurp you," I teased while ruffling his hair.
'Unlike your half-sister,' I wanted to add, but I didn't wanna upset him.
"He is a cat! Why would he try to usurp me?!"
"I just said he wouldn't!"
He gave me a playful sceptical look, which caused me to giggle, and I leaned down with the intention to kiss his cheek. Except that he turned his head and my lips ended up on his instead. He gave me a cute grin when I pulled away and I smiled.
"So," Arthur began as his eyes travelled towards the gramophone, which sat atop his dining table, "does that thing play any songs we can slow dance to?"
A wave of excitement ran through my veins at his question. I can't believe that he's actually asking me about music! My life is complete!
"Of course!" I exclaimed before scrambling to get off the bed and rushing to shuffle through the cardboard box that holds the records – only feeling slightly guilty when his head bounced on the bed when I removed my body from under it without warning.
"The Beatles have a couple," I began to list as I pulled out three of their records, "there's Heaven," I pulled out Bryan Adams's 'Reckless', "uh, Lifehouse has a bunch of slow songs," I retrieved their 'Greatest Hits' album, "and you can never go wrong with Elvis!"
"I have no idea what any of that is," Arthur pointed out.
"I know," I responded with a smirk as I turned to face him again, finding that he was now sitting on the bed. "Which means that you're in for a fun ride, so buckle up!"