#ulfius

Uther walked over and gently took it from Aurelius’s grasp, plopping down beside him and inspecting the ornament. He looked positively thrilled by it, which Merlin felt he could mostly attribute to sentimental value, although the crown itself was nothing to scoff at either. The circle of spiked gold was inlaid with bright blue gems all around, each one reflecting the light at a different angle, creating an odd effect where they almost appeared to be glowing. “I remember that.” Uther’s mouth twisted into a smile. “He even let me try it on one time, and we both know I’m never getting it.” He laughed as he handed it back to Aurelius. “Don’t want it anyway.”

Aurelius just smiled, warm and affectionately, as he placed the crown on his head again. “Well, I’ll have to get you a circlet or something of your own. You are the crown prince now, after all.”

Uther shrugged. “Sure, until you have your first kid.”

Something about that comment made Aurelius’s easy smile turn into a sheepish one. “Well, you may have to wait a bit.”

“What? You’re going to wait to get a queen or something?” Uther demanded.

Aurelius shrugged. “Something like that. I know any marriage I will have won’t exactly be for love, and I want to make sure I marry someone who knows and is okay with that.”

“Hate to break it to you, but in your class, almost no marriages are for love,” Ulfius scoffed.

“Maybe you’ll grow to love each other?” Uther suggested, but Aurelius shook his head.

“That’s not quite what I mean, and also that’s not going to happen,” Aurelius replied, first to Ulfius then to Uther. “I’d rather find someone who’d be okay with us having extramarital romantic relations, open courtly love, if you will.”

“So you want to find some peasant girl to be your one true forbidden love?” Ulfius drawled sarcastically.

Aurelius laughed. “No, and besides, there’s already someone I like.”

“Then why don’t you two get married?” Uther asked excitedly. “Who cares about status? You just overthrew a tyrant! The people love you! Marrying someone of presumably a lower class might make the peasants love you more, and what are the nobles going to do about it?”

Aurelius just shook his head. “It’s not that simple in this case, Uther.”

“Why not?” Uther argued. “It’d make you happy!”

“Well, for one, I don’t think we’re legally allowed to marry,” Aurelius muttered.

Uther frowned. “So… she’s a nun then?”

“No, no it’s not that.” Aurelius started to look a little stressed out, rubbing his temples with one hand. “Leave it be, Uther. Let’s just focus on today for now, alright?”

Uther hummed in that way he did when he wanted to say something but was holding it back before finally nodding in agreement. “Want me to go stall the nobles?”

Aurelius fidgeted. “I should really be dealing with them myself—”

“It’s your damn coronation,” Ulfius interrupted. “Be just the tiniest bit selfish today, you self-sacrificing idiot.”

That comment made Aurelius snort, while Uther looked just the tiniest bit impressed Ulfius said that to his king. Aurelius looked up at the two of them, then finally answered, “Would you please?”

“I’ll buy you an hour at least,” Uther promised, turning around and starting to leave. He paused once he had gone a few paces and looked expectantly at Merlin, beckoning with his hand. “Coming, Merlin?”

“Actually, I’d like him to keep me company for a bit, if that’s alright with you,” Aurelius suggested, addressing Merlin for the last bit.

“Oh, sure!” Merlin was a little relieved at not having to deal with a crowd again so soon, and while Uther looked a little put-out he soon recovered and left, dragging Ulfius behind him.

Aurelius patted the spot on the bench next to him, inviting Merlin to sit down. When he did so, Aurelius let out a deep sigh and stretched. “Would you mind if I rested my head on your shoulder for a bit?”

“Not at all,” Merlin replied. Aurelius smiled and took off his crown, letting it hang from his fingers as he put his head against Merlin’s shoulder and made himself comfortable.

“Do you think my father would be proud of me?” Aurelius asked softly.

“I never met him,” Merlin replied, a little confused.

“I know, but I’ve told you about him. What would he think about me now?” the king pressed.

“Well, from what I’ve seen with parents, probably worried?” Merlin guessed. “You just fought a war and still have a lot of work ahead of you. He’d probably be really concerned about your well-being.”

Aurelius laughed, quiet and solemn. “I really like that you give me a realistic answer. It’s always, ‘He’d be so proud of you!’ but what else are they going to say? He’d spit in your face?”

“He wouldn’t, might lock you in your room until you slept a full night from dusk until dawn, but of course he wouldn’t be disgusted by you or anything,” Merlin assured him.

“Does everyone really think I don’t take care of myself?” Aurelius asked.

“I thought that was a fact.”

Aurelius laughed again. “Okay, maybe that’s true,” he admitted. Absentmindedly, he reached up and touched Merlin’s cheek. “What about my pickiness with marriage?”

“Why would he be upset about you waiting for the right queen?” Merlin asked.

With a sigh, Aurelius removed his hand and sat up. He leaned over and placed his hand on Merlin’s knee. “You really don’t understand what I mean, do you?” he asked, searching Merlin’s eyes even as Merlin tried to break eye contact.

“I’ve been told I miss a lot of social cues,” admitted Merlin, his face heating up.

“I…” Aurelius just shook his head and leaned back. “Maybe some other time I’ll tell you. I should get the kingdom’s affairs in order first.”

“Huh?”

He smiled, warm and gentle like the sun. “Don’t worry about it. How about we go visit the library for a bit? I’ll show you around.”

“Merlin!”

The soft, not too loud, call made him jerk his head up. Aurelius smiled brightly, waving as he walked over to the wizard and sat down beside him. “I wasn’t able to get away earlier, sorry,” he said while still smiling, which twisted into his more usual worried frown when he saw Merlin’s expression. “Did something happen?”

Merlin just looked down at his lap. “Enjoy the party, I’m just thinking about something.”

“Something bad. What is it?” Aurelius pressed.

Merlin forced a smile, although he knew it looked strained. “Could I tell you after the celebration’s over? It’s just my mind refusing to let go of something.”

Aurelius reluctantly nodded. “I was going to ask you if you’d like to dance, but if you need a moment…”

Those words made Merlin perk up a little. “Sure! I mean, yes, I’d like to dance. I’m not very good at it, though. Not much practice or training.”

“I’ll lead, then. Come on.” The soon-to-be-crowned king held out his hand palm-up, which Merlin gratefully accepted, letting him pull him to his feet. Aurelius led him out to where everyone else was dancing to the music and lifted up their hands, hesitantly placing his other hand on Merlin’s waist. “Just move with me, alright?”

Merlin nodded and Aurelius started pulling him along to the music, moving around the space in small circles. After a while, he spun Merlin around, making the wizard laugh in surprise. Aurelius grinned and did it again and from that point on, he would regularly stop and spin Merlin, both of them laughing. The melody dulled Merlin’s worries, seeping into his brain and leaving nothing but euphoria. The warmth of Aurelius’s hand felt heavenly against the cold night air, his gray eyes danced with lights, and with all these sensations, the guilt fell into the recesses of his mind.

He wasn’t sure how long they had danced, long enough for his feet to get tired, before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced back and saw Ulfius, who jerked his thumb over his shoulder when the two stopped to look at him. “Some of the nobles want to greet the new king. I stalled them as long as I could, but duty calls, again.”

Aurelius nodded. “Thank you, Ulfius. I’ll be right back,” he whispered to Merlin. He brushed past the knight toward the direction indicated, his easy gate shifting into something more regal and commanding. Ulfius watched him go, then pulled Merlin away from the dancing because they were standing in the middle of the festivities and in the way of everyone else.

They walked over to the feast table, where Ulfius poured a cup of wine and shoved it in Merlin’s face. “Drink.”

Merlin hesitantly accepted the cup and took a small sip. “Why?” he asked after he swallowed.

“Because you put up with Uther every damn day,” Ulfius replied. “Seriously, how do you not have a drinking problem?”

“He’s not that…” His voice trailed off as the memories of the screams came back, echoing in his mind. Ulfius raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes.

“What did he do this time? Murder babies?” Ulfius demanded.

“That’s not funny,” Merlin muttered around the wine glass.

“I wasn’t joking, I fully believe he’d butcher a baby if given the right incentive,” retorted Ulfius, a hand on his hip. “What did he do?”

Merlin looked down and softly, quietly, told Ulfius how Uther killed Vortigern, leaving out who actually ended his life. Ulfius looked thoroughly unimpressed throughout the story, but seemed disgusted, which encouraged Merlin to keep talking. When he was done, Ulfius grabbed the wine flask and refilled Merlin’s cup to the brim, letting the liquid spill over and stain the wizard’s sleeve. “Drink. You really goddamned need it.”

“Am I just being overly sensitive?” Merlin asked, his voice shaking as he took a sip. “I mean, Vortigern was the enemy. I hated him, too, but—”

“You’re not being sensitive, you’re just not desensitized,” Ulfius retorted, pouring himself a goblet and downing it in one gulp. “Vortigern was scum who deserved to die, and I’d even say he deserved to die like that, but it was Uther who tortured him, and that says a lot more about Uther’s character than it does about whether or not that tyrant should have been tortured to death.”

Merlin moved his cup around in a circle, letting the liquid swirl. “Should I tell Aurelius?”

“Why?” Ulfius asked, already refilling his drink. “Not like he can do anything about it now. Plus, people are happy Vortigern’s dead, how could Aurelius punish the man who killed him, even if he wanted to?”

Merlin fidgeted. “I already told him I’d let him know what was bothering me after the festival was over.”

Ulfius groaned and rolled his eyes. “He’s going to forget, don’t worry about it if he doesn’t ask. Honestly, you don’t need to keep every promise you make.”

“Why not? They’re promises, you’re supposed to keep them,” Merlin insisted.

“You’re supposed to do a lot of things that nobody does,” Ulfius replied, downing another goblet. “Just go along with everyone else, accept that, and move on.”