Chapter Text
Arthur considered himself a good son and a good Prince. He cared for his people, listening carefully during council meetings and court of common pleas. He was a strong knight, besting even the most senior knights in tournaments and practice.
But he wasn't a good enough son to kill a child just because his father asked him to.
After an afternoon of chasing this druid kid around Camelot's citadel, he had finally snuck him out and they were long on their way towards wherever in the woods the boy called home.
The pair had crossed the borderline on Llamrei a few hours ago, Arthur could just let the kid go, he was safe once again. He shouldn't leave a boy on his own in the woods without a horse, and he was too selfish to give up his own favorite mount.
"Do you often not agree with your father? My brother and I tend to listen to our Da, but sometimes he's ridiculous, so I don't blame you." The kid asked. Arthur could tell he was getting restless, he hadn't spoke since Arthur had yelled at him to shut up around the borderline.
"We don't have to talk, kid." Arthur said.
"But it's been so boring otherwise."
"This isn't supposed to be fun, I'm taking a dangerous criminal out of my kingdom."
"I'm not dangerous!" The kid shouted. "I haven't even started to even practice my combat magic skills. My mum thinks I'm too little."
A pang of jealousy struck Arthur, to have a mother care that much about him, his father had him out training the moment Arthur could lift up a sword. And honestly, how dare this little brat of a sorcerer abuse the trust said mother had in him by wandering in the woods so close to a place that kills people like him. Lately, Uther had been paying witch hunters by the score to search the woods for druids and witches. His anti-magic paranoia was only getting worse the older Arthur got. Arthur had been forced to see too many deaths to the pyre lately, too many to all be actual magic users.
"So you like me, but not magic?"
"I never said any of that." Arthur grumbled.
"Well you saved me from the pyre. You must like me a little bit, and I haven't even been mean to you. My brother saves me all the time even after I'm mean to him."
He wouldn't call this saving. As a Prince, Arthur should be saving precious beautiful damsels not some druid boy who couldn't help but wander into the hands of witch finders, this was a chore or something akin to a mini quest.
"Where is your brother now? Certainly, you'd love to have him escort you the rest of the-" Something whizzed past Arthur's head. He ducked a bit too late, tucking the boy close to him, as a dagger lodged itself into a tree beside them with strands of Arthur's hair attached to it. Llamrei bucked up and Arthur had to react quickly, still holding the druid boy close, he calmed his mare the best he could as he surveyed the woods.
Standing across from them in the middle of the path was a young boy, he looked to be maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, at least a couple years younger than Arthur. He was lanky, just beginning what his nursemaid once called "the colt years", but his face still held on to the rounded cheeks of childhood. His dark curly hair dangled in front of his bright blue eyes which glared angrily at Arthur. He was wearing a black tunic underneath a strangely rust colored looking scaled breastplate. The other boy looked up from his glare and Arthur could see a circlet buried in the black curls, the same red colored metal as his chainmail, with glowing amber gems set into it.
"Merlin!" The boy called out with glee. He squirmed out of Arthur's grip and ran over to the assassin.
"Wait-!" Arthur called out, he moved to dismount Llamrei as well, but the second dagger sunk into the tree right above the first.
"Stay away." The assassin growled, his once beautiful striking blue eyes were now a glowing ethereal gold. Arthur couldn't move, his legs stuck to the saddle. Meanwhile, the boy hugged the assassins legs.
"I was so scared, I didn't think any hunters would be out this close after what happened last time. They took me all the way to Camelot and they were going to-"
"I wasn't going to let that happen, kid." Arthur interrupted. The assassin, who had been listening intently to his brother's story, glared at him again. "He's-My father thinks magic corrupts, the kid…he's-my sister-I-"
Arthur stammered with nerves as the assassin stomped his way over. He was afraid that Llamrei would attempt to buck him again off due to the stranger's sudden movements. Arthur should've been more worried of the young assassin, as Arthur felt tendrils curling up his arms and legs, leaving a tingly warm feeling. He looked down to see nothing on him, but suddenly the tendrils grasp tight, yanking Arthur out of the saddle, flipping him in the air, and slamming him into the forest floor. The assassin stepped on Arthur's chest, dagger pointed at the middle of Arthur's forehead.
His heart flipped, beating strangely as the other boy threatened him.
"What's your game, Pendragon?"
"I don't have one! I didn't want to see another child killed." Arthur said, his cheeks were blushing, he could feel it with how hot they were getting.
The assassin furrowed his brow but took his foot off Arthur's chest. He tucked the dagger away. Arthur sat up, the air still trying to get back into his lungs after beings suddenly knocked out of him. He hoped that his heart would calm down with the more oxygen flowing to his brain to tell it to knock it off.
"Mordred, thank Prince Arthur for your rescue."
"You know who I am?" Arthur asked dumbfounded. The boys ignore him.
"Thank you Prince Arthur." The boy, Mordred, said as he bows. It's too polished and perfect for the boy to be any old druid. Now that he thought about it, the boy spoke too well and knew the ins and outs of courts, things a boy growing up in tents in the wood would not know or care about.
"You're welcome…I never really learned your name."
"Wow, what manners you have." Arthur heard the older boy mutter.
"Prince Mordred of the Perilous Lands, and my brother Crown Prince Emrys." Mordred said as he straightened up. His brother, apparently Emrys, walked back over to him.
"How do you know who I am?" Arthur asked Emrys.
"I tend to study those who are most likely going to try to kill me and my people. Don't you?" Emrys asked in a cool and measured tone. "Come Mordred, before he changes his mind and puts us both on a pyre."
"Bye Prince Arthur, thank you again!" Mordred said. Mordred looked up to his brother and nudged him in the ribs. They looked into each others eyes, it looked as if they were silently arguing.
Emrys sighed loudly and turned back to Arthur.
"Thank you Prince Arthur." Emrys said. "Thank you for not being as much of a prat as they bards say you are."
"What bards are saying that?!" Arthur asked. That question seemed to tickle the stoic prince, because Emrys smiled at Arthur's reaction.
"Merlin!" Mordred hissed.
"What? I thanked him. Let's go, Kilgharrah won't wait too much longer for us and then we'll have a very long walk home." Emrys said. Mordred waved once more before turning to walk further along on the path. Emrys stood still for a moment, let out a small chuff in Arthur's direction and then ran to catch up to his younger brother.
Arthur could only sit there, watching the pair disappear down the path, he had hoped that whatever faint tight feeling of longing in his chest that was begging to be seen and known would stop being so ridiculous.
It didn't help that just before they disappeared, Emrys turned to glimpse that Arthur was still there.
It only made that tightness so much worse.
Morgana was waiting for him when he got back to Camelot. She was playing with her pearls as she bit her lip in thought. She lit up when Arthur entered the courtyard, rushing down the staircase to meet him.
"Was your hunt successful?" She asked as Arthur met her by the base of the stairs.
"Unfortunately, my prey got away." Arthur said, hoping that it was enough to put her mind at ease. He wasn't particularly good when it came to witty wordplay, that was always her strong point.
Morgana smiled and threw her arms around Arthur, a rare moment for them. In the ten years of her leaving with them as his father's ward, he could only really count like 4 times they've hugged. The last time being when a knight had behaved rudely to her when she was 14, causing a freshly 10 year old Arthur to attempt to duel him. When his father had forbidden that happening, he ran to Morgana sobbing for her forgiveness. She had knelt down to hug him and wipe away his tears, thanking him a lot for even trying to defend her honor.
Looking back, he'd do it all the same if he had to again.
"Thank you, Arthur." She whispered. Kissing his cheek as she pulled away, Morgana cleared her throat and straightened up her appearance. Arthur grimaced and wiped his cheek off, he could feel her lip paint remain heavy where she had pressed the kiss. This whole interaction was too gushy for either one of them. It caused them both to just stand quiet facing each other as servants scurry past.
"Have you heard of the Princes of the Perilous Lands?" Arthur asked in hopes for answers from his father's ward and an end to the awkward silence.
"I've only heard Uther ever speak about their King, some Dragonlord who used to be loyal to Camelot. I believe my father may have had a trade route with them. Why do you ask?" Morgana asked with furrowed brows. She gasped and covered her mouth. "Was that?"
"One of them, the other looked closer to our age."
"Then Camelot is very lucky to have you as our prince, Arthur."
"I don't think my father would agree to that."
"You father almost just caused a war." Arthur rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, if he had hurt that boy, or Gods forbid, killed him?"
"Well he's home now, and if they are smart, neither Prince will bother us again" He declared. He walked up the stairs to head inside, he needed a bath, some dinner, and any book that'll mention the Perilous Lands. Better late than never to study his enemies. He was already behind, that Emrys kid had known him enough to be able to recognize Arthur without even meeting.
"You say that, but maybe I'll marry the older one, just to mess with Uther. He can't deny the match, they are princes." Morgana said as she followed closely behind Arthur.
He scoffed and stopped in the middle of the staircase.
"He's not someone you'd want to court. First off he's so much younger than you, you harpy, and second he wasn't very nice." Arthur said crossing his arms. Emrys seemed to be angry and cold, Morgana deserved a husband who didn't throw daggers at innocent men just for trying to do a good deed.
"But was he handsome?" Morgana asked with a smirk.
"I wouldn't know!" Arthur said. Morgana flinched at how loud it was. Arthur couldn't help but to think about the glowing gold of Emrys's eyes, staring down at him. He felt his cheeks heat up again, and his stomach clenched, probably because of how disgusted he was with Emrys's actions. "I was too busy trying to survive him trying to kill me."
"I bet he was. I heard Dragonlords can hypnotize maidens into doing whatever they say."
"No you didn't!" Arthur countered, but what if that explained why for his entire ride back he couldn't stop thinking about how amazing the hum of magic that surrounded the other Prince felt even when he was using it to attack him, it was like he could still feel one tendril faintly on his arm, tied tightly around his wrist.
"Uh huh, and that their women give birth to eggs, like hens." Morgana goaded, her smirk fully changing into a playful grin. Arthur huffed and pushed past her. She again followed right on his heels.
"And-and um they can fly, large wings sprout right out of their backs."
"I know none of this is real, Morgana." Arthur said as he continued into the citadel.
"It could be. But we'll never know for sure, so I guess I'll have to be right for the rest of our lives. Like I am with most things."
"I have no idea how any believes that you're the older of us."
"Oh, Arthur, I just know how to have fun. It's not a trait Uther has to pass down though, I fear."
"Goodbye Morgana." Arthur said as she headed down towards the armory, she wouldn't dare follow him down there, and she didn't. Instead she turned towards the royal chambers wing, cackling about something to herself.
Good, screw the bath and food, Arthur had some weird feelings that only smacking some dummy around with a sharp stick would cure.
And Morgana said he didn't know how to have fun.