Camelot
The first few months after 'The Mordred Act' was signed were somewhat chaotic and disorganised as Astraea, Merlin, Arthur, and company worked around the clock to get some minor protests against it under control, as well as handle an influx of magic refugees coming from kingdoms where the practice is still outlawed, and making some small adjustments to the laws as inquiries and concerns came up from both people with magic and people who are still wary of it.
Among the influx of refugees was Gaius's lost love, Alice. The events that led to her having to flee the kingdom to escape execution were explained to Arthur, and she was promptly pardoned and allowed to live in the physician's chambers. Daegal and Merlin were given other rooms in the castle to give the couple privacy.
Following a trial period with 'The Mordred Act', things started to sail smoothly and Camelot flourished like never before. Not just thanks to the established peace between people, but because of the many new projects that the King and Queen brought in – such as maths schools, retirement funds, and new trade agreements that brought in a lot of commerce and, thus, maximised the kingdom's economy. Poverty was gradually abolished almost entirely and people were able to live comfortable and happy lives.
The people started referring to Astra and Arthur's reign as 'The Golden Age.'
Life within the castle was just as great.
Merlin, despite being Court Sorcerer, continued to sort of work as Arthur's servant because the King refused to get anyone else to perform this job (much to George's dismay) after so many years of depending solely on his best friend. However, Merlin now used magic to take care of all his tasks, making it so that they weren't time-consuming at all, and both boys were pleased with the arrangement.
Also regarding Merlin – he and Gwen finally sealed the deal, and they got married just a few months after the signing of 'The Mordred Act'.
Aithusa and Phoenix were given free rein throughout the kingdom with the signing of another document – 'The Dragon Conservation Ordinance' – which made it illegal to capture or hunt dragons, and named them a protected species. Unsurprisingly, however, they chose to hang out near the castle most of the time, dropping in almost daily to greet Merlin and Astra, and often scaring the crap out of courtiers.
Just like she promised, Astra used the mini projector that she bought at Walmart to declare Saturdays 'mandatory movie night', an exclusive weekly event that was reserved for the (remaining) members of the round table, plus Daegal, since they are the only ones who were told about her true origins, being faithful to the promise that history wouldn't learn that time-travel is real.
Of course, Astra was beyond excited to show her favourite movies and series to all of her friends – but this all quickly backfired for her when Gwaine and Percival promptly made up a drinking game, which consisted of taking a shot every time they heard a line that the Queen has quoted in conversation, and the two knights ended up getting drunk more often than not. Her annoyance grew when Merlin, Arthur and Leon joined the game. However, Arthur soon quit when he reflected that Astra wouldn't allow him to kiss her or engage in husband-and-wife activities if he smelled like alcohol.
"Seriously, Astra! Have you ever said an original sentence in your entire life?!" Arthur cried out only two episodes into 'Supernatural'.
"No."
Merlin and Astra did take a holiday, eventually, when she convinced Leo Hargrove to let her brother visit the twenty-first century. Out of all the things they could've done, the pair went to California and they spent a week acting like children while visiting Disneyland and Universal Studios, and they went to the San Diego Comic Con, where they got a bunch of autographs and pictures.
"Who should I address this to?" Robert Downey Junior asked with a kind grin as he readied to sign an autograph for Merlin.
"Merlin," a grinning Merlin responded.
The Iron-Man actor chuckled and promptly scribbled down his greeting. "Is that your actual name, or just an alias?"
"It is my actual name," Merlin revealed while sharing an amused look with Astra.
"He has magic, too!" Astra piped in with a big smile, earning a nudge to the side and a wide-eyed look from her brother.
"I know a few magic tricks myself," Robert commented with a wink.
And the pair were forced to move along the line, ending the conversation.
They tried to go back the next year with Gwaine, but Leo forbade it after an interview with Robert Downey Junior came out in which the actor recounted how he met a British fan named Merlin who could do magic.
Four years into 'The Golden Age', during which there were no more assassination attempts or evil sorcerers conjuring up evil plots, Arthur and Astra finally decided that it was time to have a baby.
Those nine months of pregnancy were an absolute nightmare. Despite the fact that she didn't experience any common side-effects, Astra was absolutely unhappy with her condition because she couldn't stand not being able to ride and play around like she was used to, and she couldn't freely drink coffee, and she couldn't sleep on her stomach the way she likes, and she wasn't allowed to do many of the tasks she was used to, and she couldn't take hot baths... She cried almost every night, in Arthur's arms, and blubbered about how much she regretted everything while he did his best to comfort her.
When the time finally came for the baby to be born, Astra forced Leo Hargrove to take her and Arthur back to Texas, since she refused to give birth without modern painkillers, and she opted to get a voluntary c-section because she refused to have the baby naturally – which freaked out her husband, but he didn't dare to protest. She also got her tubes tied in the process, because she refused to ever have another baby and she feared that she could be persuaded in a moment of weakness if she simply asked Merlin to repeat the anti-conception spell.
Arthur and Astra returned to Camelot only two days after the baby was born. As a reward for not going entirely crazy during the pregnancy, the King allowed his Queen to choose the name under the condition that she took the task seriously. And they presented the child before the court...
"Friends – I present to you your very own Tony Stark!" Astra said with a big smile, not regretting anything anymore.
Gwaine's laughter rumbled through the room while the rest of the courtiers exchanged looks of confusion.
"Astra!" Arthur grunted in a whisper. "I told you – we are not going to name our son 'Tony Stark'!"
"Okay, fine," she grumbled. Then she raised her voice again to reach the court, "Friends – I present to you Tony Pendragon!"
"Astraea!"
"Okay, okay, sorry. Ladies and gentlemen – this is Anthony Pendragon!"
Cheers and claps erupted, startling the baby out of its sleep and causing it to start crying.
"Oh, fork, how d'ya turn it off?!" Astra asked as she quickly handed the baby to Arthur. "I think he liked 'Tony Stark' better," she added in a whisper, and she watched with a melting heart as he attempted to soothe their child while playfully glaring at her. She gave him an innocent grin, which promptly turned his frown into a smile.
Anthony 'Tony' Pendragon had wavy dark blond hair, beautiful sea-green eyes, his father's sharp features, and his mother's freckles. He grew up in a harmonious and caring environment. Unlike his parents, he never once questioned the fact that he was very loved, and he never experienced loneliness or a low self-esteem. He naturally became a confident and kind person because of it. However, that couldn't counteract the fact that his genetics were half Astraea Aphelion, and he became a menace to have around as soon as he could walk without help. His father, his Uncle Merlin, and his Aunt Gwen were often left doing damage control while his mother and his Uncle Gwaine cackled like high hyenas, which only egged him on.
One time, when Tony was nine, he, Arthur and Astra were walking back from game night with the round table, and they heard strange noises coming from the bedroom of a visiting ambassador from Mercia. Arthur thought nothing of it, while Astra and Tony became convinced that their guest was a werewolf. So the two stalked the visitor for three days until they were sure they had enough proof, and they burst into the room when they heard the strange noises again, only to find a perfectly human human engaged in husband-and-wife activities with one of his maidservants. A very embarrassed Arthur had to drag a traumatised Astra and Tony away, and then he had to very awkwardly explain to Tony how babies are made while Astra apologised to the ambassador.
When Tony was sixteen, he decided to start officially courting his life-long best friend, Princess Clementine of Sussex – the daughter of King Cynebald and Queen Elena of Sussex. Both families were obviously elated to see it.
"You should have had a daughter, too, so that she could marry Thomas," King Benjamin of Gawant would often whine to Astra and Arthur; feeling left out of the family bonding even if he was invited to all gatherings.
(Prince Thomas eventually got together with one of Queen Mithian of Nemeth's three dazzling daughters, so he didn't do too bad for himself.)
At twenty-three years old, Tony and Clementine finally decided that they were ready to tie the knot, and a beautiful and lavish ceremony was held in Camelot for their wedding.
"I think our fathers would have been proud," Elena commented to Arthur as they watched their children sway on the dance floor.
Arthur let out a puff. "It has been a long time since I have thought about whether my father would be proud of me or not."
"Perhaps he is looking on from somewhere and reflecting upon everything he was wrong about," Elena suggested.
And that's as far as the conversation went, because 'Heaven' by Bryan Adams began to play and Astra suddenly rushed towards her King, exclaiming, "Artie! Our song!" and she dragged him to the dance floor.
Tony and Clementine enjoyed seven years of a semi-normal marriage while continuing to learn about what it means to reign, and simultaneously raising three children. And when they turned thirty, everyone with a say in the matter agreed that they were ready to take the throne, and the transition was a smooth one.
Arthur and Astra retired to a farm just a few kilometres away from the citadel, and Arthur got to indulge in his farmer dreams (which he was terrible at, but he gets points for trying), while Astra was finally allowed to import a few Arabian stallions from the European continent, and she carefully experimented with breeding until she was able to create a horse built similarly to the Thoroughbred. They didn't forget about the kingdom, however, and made a point of visiting Tony at least once a week, serving as advisors. Not that it was really needed – Merlin and Gwen's son and Gwaine's daughter were doing a great job of succeeding their parents.
Dallas became the oldest living horse in Albion, pushing fifty years old, and he became a fantastic mentor for the horses that Astra bred, remaining her faithful companion even if his body couldn't carry her anymore, or endure much exercise.
Even with the hardships that come with being King and Queen, and with being parents, the devotion between Astra and Arthur never once faltered, and they remained stupidly and passionately in love with one another until the end.
"I dunno how the game of life is scored," Astra commented as the two sat cuddling on their front porch one afternoon, watching the sunset, "but I believe we may have won."
"Won? We set the high record for all eternity," Arthur declared.
They shared a smile and a sweet kiss.
"I love you three-thousand, Artie."
"I love you three-thousand, Astra."