Destined to Be | Arthur Pendragon

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Merlin turned his attention back to Arthur.

His eyes fell to the ground with a degree of concern and sadness. That was obvious to see. The girl he was expecting must have meant a great deal to him, and for her to not hop out of the carriage with her parents and siblings must have hurt.

Merlin couldn't help but laugh a little. He was very excited to meet this woman if she was causing Arthur to act this way.

Suddenly, the loud sound of horse hooves rang out along the cobblestones. Two beautiful mares raced straight towards them. One, a beautiful champagne color. The other, a dark chestnut. Atop the horses were two women, vastly different in age, laughing loudly.

"Ada, you cheated!" the younger one hollered. "I was going to win!"

"Oh, Anna, my little sister, you would have won if you didn't pull up on your reins so quickly," the second announced. "You'll beat me one day, but until then, you need to keep practicing."

Arthur relaxed, Merlin took note, as the horses were handed off to the stable hands and the two daughters made their way up the castle's steps,joining the rest of their family .

"Momma! Momma! I almost beat Ada!" the young girl shouted, racing into her mother's awaiting arms. "Did you see me? Did you see?"

"I did, my little dove," Mary said. "You are getting much better at riding on horseback. The lessons your sister is giving you are paying off."

"I'll beat her someday," the girl crossed her arms across her chest. "It's only a matter of time. Um, what's Ada doing? Why is she just standing there? Is she afraid of the big castle? I thought she used to love this place."

"Don't worry about your big sister, little dove," Mary replied, eyeing her eldest daughter closely. She and Richard knew there was going to be some awkwardness between their daughter and Uther's son. She hoped it wouldn't linger around too long.

Adeline stared at the blond man before her. He had changed so much since they were children. Gone was the awkward, lanky boy who chased her around the castle, and was replaced by the epitome of knight and future king. She could already feel her cheeks reddening at how handsome he turned out to be.

"I don't have all day, Artie," she teased. "Are you going to hug me or what?"

"Starting this again, are you? How many times have I told you not to call me that?" he sighed, walking towards her. A small smile broke out on his face. It seemed that she hadn't changed all that much after all.

"And you still think I'm going to listen to you," she shook her head before sprinting towards him, jumping into his awaiting arms. "When did you get so big and strong?"

"Eight years change a man," he twirled her around briefly, keeping her in his arms once he placed her on the ground. "It's so good to see you again, Ada. I missed you so much." He whispered the last part in her ear.

"I missed you too, Arthur," she replied, kissing his cheek. "It feels like it's been a lifetime since we've seen one another. I pray it never happens again."

"I will do everything in my power to make sure it never does," Arthur offered her his arm.. "May I escort you to your room? You must be exhausted after a long day of travel."

"That would be wonderful," Adeline gladly accepted. "My butt is going to be sore for a while. I can already feel it."

"Merlin, you are relieved of the rest of your duties today," Arthur told his servant in passing.

"Am I dreaming?" Merlin wondered aloud. "Surely, I must be dreaming."

"Go before I change my mind."

"Wait, you're Arthur's servant?" Adeline halted in front of Merlin. "I am so sorry. I need to give you some blackmail material-"