Camelot

February, 508 AD

A breath-stealing gradient of purple, to blue, to yellow, to orange extended overhead as the sun approached its vanishing point in the sky, its light growing weary as it made its daily journey to hide beyond the horizon, leaving behind a marvellous spectacle of colours.

I softly sang along to The Beatles playing on my phone while enjoying the show.

Everything felt okay. A warming sense of peace filled my every cell despite the coolness that accompanied the night's entry to the atmospherical stage. Out here, there are no responsibilities or expectations from anyone (as long as one ignores Kilgharrah's dumb ramblings about fate and all that crap). Out here, nature cradles me with gentle arms, satisfying each one of my senses with her unique views, and her soft snowy surfaces, her birds' chirps, and her soul-soothing aromas of pine leaves and pure air.

Merlin sat up with a heavy sigh, a silent indication that it's time to return home.

"Any chance you can freeze time n' let us stay here for a few more hours?" I asked in a soft tone

"Stay! Please stay!" Phoenix squeaked out, distracting himself from his playful fighting with Aithusa as he smiled at us.

"Let us play more!" Aithusa chirped, her hopeful blue eyes staring directly at Merlin.

The sorcerer let out a chuckle and he moved to gently rub her donkey-sized head before he returned his attention to me and claimed, "You know we cannot. Arthur will start to wonder where we are if we take much longer."

I groaned as I forced myself into a sitting position. "Or he'll be happy to enjoy his last few Astra-free nights," I countered with a grin. "I mean, you've been inside my head. You know he'll regret marrying me two days in."

"That which is destined to be will not cause regretful feelings, young queen," Kilgharrah's deep, raspy voice butted in.

"I'll have you descaled and turned into a thousand purses, you overgrown lizard," I snapped back at him. I only earned a chuckle in return and I sent him a glare.

Merlin rolled his eyes at me and he offered me a hand so that I could stand up. I simply stared at his outstretched limb for a few moments before looking up at him with pleading eyes and a pout.

Can you blame me? The sunset is gorgeous, the dragons are fun and adorable, and I'm distracted from the fact that my whole life is about to change drastically. Or I was distracted from that.

"Come on, your majesty. Your wedding awaits you," Merlin said as he snatched my arms and forced me to my feet.

"Call me that again and your skin'll join Special K's in the purse factory," I warned my brother as I pointed a menacing finger at his chest.

He laughed heartily. "Whatever you say, dear sister," he responded as he wrapped an arm over my shoulders and began to guide me towards Dallas and Falcon, who were resting under a large pine tree. "Are you going to threaten the whole kingdom with that, as well?"

"Yes. I don't want special treatment. I just want Arthur."

"Aw!" he exclaimed as he pinched my cheek.

"Merlin!" I scolded while swatting his hand away.

Phoenix and Aithusa ran to catch up with us, their sudden appearance ending the playful argument.

"When will you return?" Phoenix asked, his amber eyes glimmering with emotion as they darted between my brother and I.

"As soon as Astra gets sick of Arthur – which I can't imagine will be long," Merlin responded while sending me a teasing grin.

"Sounds about right," I responded with a chuckle as I reached to stroke the dragon's head.

Aithusa whined at the lack of attention and Merlin was quick to provide her with some as he let go of me to cradle her head to his chest. She let out a dragon-y purr and a big loving smile formed on my brother's lips.

"Ya' sure we can't stay longer?" I asked him again, feeling my heart warm as I saw the contentment that was clear on his face as he made eye-contact with Aithusa.

He let out a sigh and planted a kiss on top of her head before grabbing my arm and starting to pull me towards the horses once more. "You know we cannot."

"It's like Tlaloc has something against me!" I shouted over the wind while whining to my brother, my teeth slightly clattering from the cold I was experiencing thanks to how the sky was pouring down on us. The beautiful sunset turned into an apocalyptic storm within minutes!

"Who?!"

"He's the Aztec god of rain! Doesn't matter," I paused to pull my hoodie back on as it flew off thanks to the strong breeze that pushed against my body while Dallas galloped towards the castle. "The point is – this keeps happening!"

We slowed down the horses as we passed below an archway and we halted under it to give ourselves a little break from the rain.

"I don't think anyone has anything against you. This is just how climate works," Merlin told me with a small chuckle.

"Sure, but it's therapeutic when there's someone to blame," I responded with a nonchalant shrug.

I took a deep breath – instantly regretting it and wheezing a little as the cool air tried to freeze my lungs for a moment. Then I shared a determined nod with my brother and we braved to get out of our little shelter and finish making our way towards the horse paddocks.

"Oops," I said under my breath when I noticed all the extra horses that were huddled under a large tree in a paddock that had been empty when we left – signalling that some guests arrived while we were out.

Merlin gulped as he slid off Falcon. "Arthur is going to kill us!"

"Why would he have gone through the trouble of planning a wedding just to kill me two nights prior?" I countered with a small smirk as I started to undo Dallas's girth.

"Well, he can be impulsive," Merlin answered.

"Good point."

"And he would not hesitate about killing me," he added.

"Well, it'd be the last thing he ever did," I assured him with a wink.

Knowing that we'd surely get yelled at if we took the main entrance and staircase, we went around the back and used one of the servants' semi-secret passages to the royal apartments while keeping our hoods up to make ourselves as inconspicuous as possible, our arms linked together for warmth as the remnants of the storm clung to our shivering bodies.

We shared a triumphant smirk as we got to the corridor undetected and I was about to offer up a high-five when an unfortunate sight caused my smile to fade.

Arthur stood with his back leaning against my door, his arms crossed over his chest and a slight pout on his lips as he glared daggers at us.

"Well, aren't ya' a sight for sore eyes?" I said in greeting as I put on an innocent smile. His expression didn't budge.

"Where have you been?" he demanded.

"Gathering herbs for Gaius," Merlin quickly responded.

"Y'know, the usual," I threw in.

Arthur's eyes darted between us as he clenched his jaw. "It is winter. There are no herbs."

"You'd be surprised at the will of nature," I responded – rather wisely, if I may say so myself.

"Some plants just refuse to die out," my brother backed me up.

The King still seemed sceptical, but he dropped the topic as he pushed off the wall and he allowed his features to relax for a second before annoyance overcame them. "Well, hurry up and get changed because I need you in the grand hall," he told me pointedly. I raised an eyebrow. Could there be any problem? "Our guests from Gawant are here."

A big smile formed on my lips. "Oh, yay!"

Arthur remained looking displeased as he ranted, "Leon is drunk and has been losing to Prince Cynebald in a knife-throwing contest for half-an-hour, Prince Benjamin and Gwaine have not stopped screeching since Gwaine stole your music machine from my chambers, and one Sir John has been going on about how they are going to 'win' this time."

Merlin and I shared a look and we bursted out laughing together.

"Astraea – what the hell happened in Gawant?!" Arthur raised his voice.

I huffed at the realisation that suddenly hit me like a wrecking ball – "What happened in Gawant did not stay in Gawant." I let out a puff and moved to remove the lock from my door.

"Astraea?!" Arthur pressed as he grabbed my arm to stop my actions, his eyes wide as they stared straight at me.

Merlin suddenly fled – before Arthur could yell at him, too, I assume.

I placed my hands on Arthur's upper arms. "Look, lemme just have a quick bath, and I'll be right there, and I'll explain everything, yeah?"

He rolled his eyes, but he released my arm and allowed me to enter my room. I reached up to quickly kiss the side of his jaw and I gave him an innocent grin. "I love you, Artie."

I effectively caused him to break his stoicism as a small smile broke on his pretty lips. He leaned down to give me a soft kiss. "I love you three-thousand, you cheeky woman."

My heart fluttered and my guts melted.

My heart warmed at the sight that greeted me when I reached the grand hall about an hour later… I may or may not have fallen asleep in the bathtub.

I leaned against the frame of the big wooden doors, letting a small smile form on my lips as I contemplated the scene.

The knife throwing contest must have ended at some point and Sir Leon now sat slouched on a chair with a pout on his lips as he drank from a cup of what is probably coffee while he glared at Cynebald from time to time. The Saxon prince sat beside Princess Elena, both their backs to me as they chatted animatedly with Arthur, who sat at the head of the table with an empty seat to his left. Elyan was at the table as well, along with Gwen, some of Gawant's knights, and a couple of our own; and towards the back of the room were Gwaine, Percival and Prince Benjamin, singing pathetically off-synchrony as R.E.M played on the gramophone.

"I thought you would be caught up in the madness by now," the unexpected sound of Merlin's whispering voice behind me caused me to startle and I twirled around to face him.

"Honestly, I'm kind of exhausted," I said.

"You look it."

I snorted. "Thanks, bro. That's what every girl wants to hear."

He chuckled in response and gave me a gentle nudge forwards. "Go on, then."

I took a deep breath in an attempt to get some energy for socialisation and I stepped into the room.

Elena's head shot my way and, in less than an instant, she was tackling me in a hug while letting out a squeal. I laughed as I steadied myself from the impact before returning the embrace and I glanced over her shoulder to find an amused-looking Cynebald making his way over.

"Oh! It is so good to see you!" the Princess exclaimed as she separated from me, a big smile on her lips. Her entire person was glowing. Some of it may be due to our reunion, but I would bet that a lot of it has to do with her happy marriage and it is fantastic to see.

"You, too," I answered as I mirrored her smile.

She squeezed my shoulder before taking a step back, allowing her husband to greet me, too.

All formalities aside, the tall brunet also hugged me. Only for a second, in contrast with his wife's lengthy attempt at trying to force the air out of my lungs.

"Hello, Baldy," I said with a teasing grin when he stepped out of my personal space.

The Saxon prince rolled his eyes playfully and he pointed an accusatory finger at me. "You know that name has stuck with everyone at court? Even King Godwyn calls me that, now!"

I giggled. "Well, I'm glad I left a lasting impression on y'all."

Cynebald narrowed his eyes at me. "You are trouble, Astraea Aphelion."

Gwaine interrupted the slightly pointless conversation by yelling from across the room, "Trae! Come join us!" just as 'Strange' was ending, indicating that 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)' was coming up.

I smirked. Not to brag, but no one can quite keep up with the lyrics like I can.

Prince Benjamin waved in greeting from beside my friend as I started walking towards them. Only for a hand on my arm to stop me. I frowned up at Arthur, who was looking at me pointedly.

"What?"

"You said you would explain what happened in Gawant!"

I puffed. "And I will! But first, I need to show off my karaoke skills."

He narrowed his eyes at me, but let me go, and I sent Elena and Cynebald a wink before rushing over to the singing bunch.

I lay down on my back beside Arthur and rested my head on his lap as I looked up at him while preparing my brain to tell the tale of what happened in Gawant. He raised an expectant eyebrow as he draped an arm over my abdomen. I grabbed his hand and intertwined our fingers while bringing our joined extremities to rest on my stomach while my free hand began to play with the faux-leather bracelet around his wrist.

"Well…" I sighed, "it all started when I challenged Baldy to a dart throwing contest, and he proposed we play for a custom set of armour. Then Lee stepped in to turn it into a gamble with the other people in the room..."

"Leon?!" Arthur asked in alarm, his face scrunching up in an adorable manner.

I giggled at his reaction, enjoying the disbelief in his pretty features. "Yes, Leon," I confirmed. "Obviously I won," I stated with a proud smirk. "Then, the next night, Gwainester challenged Ben to a drinking contest when Ben said that it takes a lot to get him drunk. They also placed money on it and, well, you can guess who won."

"Gwaine," Arthur said and I winked at him.

"Then Elena and I had a horse race and Dal kicked her horse's butt; then Gwainester bet Ben that I would cry during the wedding ceremony and I did; then the guys competed for which team could eat more cake; then they competed for who could hit a statue in the face and Gwainester broke its nose–"

"He what?!"

I bursted out laughing again. "Oh, yeah! It was hilarious! And King Godwyn was such a great sport about it! Didn't even get mad!"

Arthur chuckled as he shook his head. "You are all crazy."

"Yep. And you still wanna marry me," I said in between giggles.

"I do," he said as his features softened. His free hand reached to remove a stray strand of hair that had moved over my face at some point and he let his touch linger on the side of my face while he gently rubbed his thumb against my cheek. "It sounds like you had a lot of fun. I wish I had been there."

I tightened my grip on his hand while leaning into his touch. "Yeah. Me, too."

He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on my forehead, which caused my heart to melt from absolute contentment.

"Though you probably would've ruined all the fun," I joked with a teasing grin.

Arthur scoffed and narrowed his eyes at me as he argued, "I would not have!"

"You would've gotten mad at the first broken glass!"

"What broken glass?!"

I giggled again. "Well, I did mention that Gwainester got drunk, didn't I?"

A frown formed on his face as he stared down at me. "Is that why you did not tell me what happened? Because you thought I would get angry?"

"At first," I responded with a shrug. "Then it became more of an inside joke and it was fun to watch you get worked up every time we brought it up."

"I am not a curmudgeon, you know?" he grumbled, almost pouting, as he moved his gaze to the duvet below us.

A wave of guilt crashed against me and I suddenly felt really bad that we didn't tell him about our adventures in Gawant. "I know you're not," I responded, my voice almost a whisper. He made eye contact again. "I wouldn't be so stupidly in love with you if you were," I added with a sweet smile.

Arthur chuckled. "Stupidly?" he echoed with an amused look.

I shrugged. "That's how Merls phrased it. I thought it was spot-on."

He gently slipped his hand out of mine and he wrapped his arms around my torso, moving me to where he was cradling my body against his chest. I placed a soft kiss on the side of his jaw before resting my head on his shoulder and curling up on his lap with a contented sigh.

"Will you stay the night?" Arthur asked in a whisper before pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Sure. Might as well start getting used to sleeping here," I responded and my heart suddenly blasted off as if it'd been thrown with a catapult. I can't believe we're getting freaking married in two days!

His lips curved upwards and he pressed another kiss to my forehead before resting his head on top of mine. "I love you so much, Astra."

"I love you three-thousand, Artie."

"How are you feeling?" Merlin asked me as he looked up from Tolkien, whom he was brushing.

We were teaming up – along with a handful of stablehands – to clean the horses after they woke up all muddy from the rainy night. According to Gwen, they need to look presentable for when the rest of the guests arrive later today.

I glanced up at my brother for a second and frowned as I returned my focus to gently detangling Dallas's mane. "'Bout what?"

"The wedding? Becoming queen?"

I bit down on my bottom lip and finally disconnected my attention from the task before me, then I let out a sigh and leaned my shoulder against my horse's. "Well, obviously I'm not thrilled about becoming queen… I'm an impostor, Merls." He narrowed his eyes at me, but said nothing. "But there's no way I'm giving up Arthur, so it is what it is."

"You underestimate yourself, Astra," Merlin claimed. "You have proven many times that you have what it takes,"

"I should be about to graduate college right now, or whatever," I grumbled. "Not ruling a kingdom."

He shook his head, obviously disagreeing with my conclusion. "But you are still going to do it?"

"Yeah," I responded and painted on a smirk. "I'll never have to ask permission for anything ever again!"

"That, and you love Arthur, right?" Merlin inquired with an amused grin.

"Sure. That, too. Obviously," I replied in a joking tone as I mirrored his expression. He playfully rolled his eyes. "Dude, of course I'm doing it 'cause I love Art. You've been in my brain, you should know that," I added in a more serious tone, though I didn't drop the smirk.

Merlin laughed and went back to brushing Tolkien. "Yes, and it is concerning. I cannot imagine why anyone would want to marry that dollophead," he stated, causing me to burst out laughing. "But, then again, you are a special kind of crazy."

"And you're my best friend, so what does that make you?" I challenged.

We shared another laugh, then we exchanged a bright-eyed smile.

My brother dropped his brush and he approached me. Before I could ask what he was doing, he pulled me into a tight hug. I dropped my brush as well and returned the gesture by wrapping my arms around his waist. I sighed against his chest, gladly taking in the comforting earthly scent that is so characteristic of him.

"You are going to be a fantastic queen, Astra. I am so proud of you," he whispered.

My heart warmed to a billion degrees and I tightened my grip on him. "Well, I'll be fine as long as I've got you by my side."

"I am never going anywhere."

"Good."