Chapter Text
It was a yearly tradition for Camelot’s Royal Family to invite the children of their allies over to the citadel in Camelot to spend the summer with them.
This was not only to make sure that their alliances and any connections they made in the past were strong, but also to see if any of the children would show any potential as matches for marriage later on.
This year, King Uther and Queen Ygraine Pendragon invited Merlin Emeryson, Prince of Essetir and son of King Balinor and Queen Hunith Emeryson. And since King Balinor was a Dragonlord, Prince Merlin, his only son, was next in line to become one himself.
Uther knew how powerful Essetir was already, especially given their Dragonlord blood. If luck was on their side and their children did end up marrying, they would make for a very powerful partnership, so when Balinor wrote back and agreed to have Merlin spend the summer in Camelot, he had been quite pleased. Ygraine, meanwhile, was just glad that their children would have company for the summer, especially Arthur. She knew how lonely he’d become lately, even if he would never admit it, and having someone close to his age would be good for him. They might even become friends if they really connected!
Her hopes were, unfortunately, rapidly dashed, when she got word on the day of Prince Merlin’s arrival to Camelot, that he and Arthur had gotten into a verbal altercation. While Merlin had said it was a simple misunderstanding and Arthur had agreed with him, albeit reluctantly, the two of them were always seen bickering and arguing whenever they were together. It wasn’t what Ygraine was hoping for for her son, but Arthur swore to her everything was fine between them, so she didn’t intervene.
Meanwhile, Merlin and Morgana seemed to get along very well almost instantly, connecting due to their magic. Whenever Merlin wasn’t seen bickering with Arthur, he was seen spending time with Morgana, either doing different spells or even just sitting in the gardens and talking. They appeared as if they were becoming very close and letters were exchanged between Ygraine and Hunith about a potential match between them. Even if the two never admitted that they liked one another in that way, it was suspected by nearly everyone that they were destined to be married.
During the last two weeks of summer, King Balinor and Queen Hunith came to Camelot to not only visit the Pendragons and bring Merlin home, but also to discuss whether there were any signs of a match between Merlin and either of the Pendragon siblings. From the letters the Queens had exchanged, and the subsequent discussions with their husbands, everyone had assumed that Merlin and Morgana would be wed.
So it was a shock to the Kings and Queens when it was reported to them that Arthur and Merlin were found in bed together, nude, in Arthur’s chambers, by his servant going to wake him one morning.
After getting over the initial shock and realizing that their assumption about Merlin and Morgana being in love was, in fact, completely wrong, both sets of parents were okay with Arthur and Merlin being together. Even if their relationship was a bit unconventional, they were both, presumably, happy together.
An engagement between the two was set up in no time by both Kings, with the wedding to happen in a year. This would allow enough time for both kingdoms to make their own preparations for the wedding, for decisions to be made on what would happen afterwards and everything in between.
In the meantime, the Emerysons had to return to Essetir until the wedding. Ygraine and Hunith encouraged the two to keep in touch and exchange letters to help the time pass by. The couple reluctantly agreed, and then proceeded to bicker about who would write the first letter right up until Merlin left.
A letter arrived for Arthur within two weeks after Merlin’s departure.