Crossfire

"Politics, Merlin. You Would Never Understand"

Arthur

I hesitantly opened the doors to the main room. What did my father want of me? Was it something I had done to trouble him? I shook the thoughts away, all of the above sounding absurd to my ears. Striding up to the doors, I gave a curt nod to the guards, who then opened them without hesitation.
"Arthur," my father voiced as I entered.
"Father." I gave a small bow in respect before continuing. "What did you need of me?"
My face contorted as my father escorted the knights. I gave a heavy breath laced with anxiety. Surely there wasn't anything to worry about? Gazing up to Uther, I pressed my thumb against my other hand, subconsciously hoping the pressure would aid to calm my tense posture.
My father cleared his throat before speaking. "The Kingdom of Aeyland is required of assistance. Although, they are a kingdom that currently wields magic." He pondered, rubbing his chin to think for a short moment. "I need your honest opinion on this situation, Arthur." He then took out a crinkled letter, a shiny, blue ribbon tying it together. I looked up to see my father's emotions on the current predicament, only finding a sunken face as an answer, nothing detected.
I felt my hands grasp onto the worn paper. Quickly pulling off the ribbon, I opened the scroll to find very fancy lettering on the page. I read the paper off, word for word, analyzing every way the ink fell and bled when the person was writing this. A few moments passed, as I was aware of my father shifting, waiting for a response—and soon.
"We should help them," I concluded, promptly rolling up the letter and handing it back.
My father took the scroll, giving me a small look. "And why so?"
I raised my head a small angle, showing confidence, although my words felt uncertain upon escaping my mouth. "Although they are a kingdom with magic, father. With all due respect, I do not think they will harm us in the future, seeing that they had not in the past." I paused for effect. "They will be of aid for us in the future, father. And a possible ally."
His posture was hesitant, constantly shifting, rubbing his chin deliberately to think properly. My eyes traveled, trying to avoid my father's penetrating stare at me. Moments like years seemed to pass. I looked at my boots, seeming to admire them at the moment, casually bending them to see the siding. I frowned upon seeing a missed area of the boot.
Merlin missed a spot, I thought. I'll get onto him for that later.
My head instantly swam towards the thought of Merlin, mind ticking about why he was so dull this morning. He seemed... tired. Sure, Merlin gets a workout from his work; but today he seemed unormally tired.
Maybe I'm working him too hard, I then voiced in my mind, the sentence open for suggestion.
"I agree with your standpoint, Arthur," my father finally said, his voice breaking me off from my thoughts. I stood in a tense posture. I looked back up to see him swiftly walking out the doors.
"We shall call upon their knights. From there, you, along with your knights and theirs, will venture to gain back their kingdom." My father looked back with a stern stare. "Do not fail me, Arthur."
I quickly bowed. "Of course, father."

Merlin

"Merlin, gather the horses—seven, to be exact. We'll be embarking tomorrow," Arthur's voice demanded, causally striding past me to give a gentle stroke to the horse's mane.
I turned, looking at him walking from a distance to reach me. Giving him a look, I sighed, turning once again to face the horses. "Where are we going, sire?" I questioned. I was honestly curious. Arthur would usually let me to know to pack horses in advance by at least two days. A sudden hunting trip, I suppose? We are currently in season for hunting deer. My eyes traveled to the sky, spotting multiple clouds accumulating in the atmosphere, an array of colors mixing. What would be so important to pack supplies and ready the horses the night of?
"We're traveling to Aeyland," Arthur suddenly replied, separating me from my thoughts.
"Aeyland?" The name sounded distinctly familiar. Gaius I believe had read some legends about their kingdom to me one time. They were a kingdom of magic—beautiful and prosperous. I gave a small sigh to the thought of the freedom of magic.
"You might've heard of it. Morgana had recently taken the kingdom over. It was known for its free practice of magic." Arthur leaned his back against the wood of the stables, watching as I fed the horses.
"Why would she take over a kingdom that wields magic?"
He shrugged. "Maybe they didn't want to follow her standards when asking of help. All that matters is that we're getting their kingdom back."
My ears perked at the last sentence. "I thought you were against magic?"
Arthur rolled his eyes, blowing off a sigh. "Politics, Merlin. You would never understand." He then waved me off, walking to his chambers, turning his back to me.
I cracked a small smile, mumbling the word prat, before continuing with my work.
"I heard that!" he yelled.

Arthur

"Milord," a knight titled, bowing with a balanced posture, facing his head to the ground. The rest followed his lead.
"Rise," I exclaimed simply with a small smile. "What are your names?"
"I am Sir Kylan," the former knight introduced. "This is Sir Joseph." He gestured to the taller of the two others, his figure broad and muscular.
"And Sir Killian," he finished, pointing to the last knight that seemed to be the shortest of the group.
I looked at my companions, awaiting for their approval, mine already accepted. Grins were spread across every one of my knight's faces. I then looked to Merlin. Although a smile was there, an underlying tone of confusion bled through his mask, making his emotions vulnerable. I frowned upon seeing him. Merlin seemed genuinely confused—almost frustrated.
"Alright, everyone, let's move out!" I ordered. As the others started to embark, I stayed behind to question Merlin's motives. "Merlin? Are you alright?"
He raised his head from the ground to look at me.
There it was again. That weird...sensation. I chose to ignore it, waiting for an answer. "Well?"
He seemed to break out of his daze, numbly nodding at me. "Yeah, I'm fine, Arthur," Merlin replied with a glossy, emotionless tone.
I squinted my eyes. I would have to question him later.

A/N: Well there was chapter 2! I hope y'all like it so far! The pace is gonna get faster the next few chapters, I promise! (You know how introductions are.) Anyway, it would really help me if y'all voted and commented on my chapter! It helps me decide if I should continue with it or not. See y'all!