Chapter Text
The gentle sloshing of the ocean wasn’t enough to wake the king, as per usual. The soft glow of the morning Sunday sun had cut through the layers of the ocean, lighting up Arthur’s chambers. It had already been well into the late morning, and Arthur was late for brunch as usual. He had just gotten somewhat used to sleeping in water, though he much preferred sleeping on his own bed on the surface. He had somehow awoken with his long, unruly head of hair in his face that he swiped away as he rubbed his eyes. A knock came from the pearl white door which reflected the morning sun.
“Come in!” He yelled.
A familiar fiery red strand of hair peeked out from the opened door, which was followed by the green glint of Mera’s suit. She swam over to the king, her hair floating behind her in delicate waves. As soon as she reached the area that was a bubble, her wet hair fell to her shoulders, no longer a shade of fiery red but rather a shade of burgundy.
“Morning, my king,” She greeted him, as she did every morning, with a cheeky smile. She used her hydrokinesis to take the water out of her hair and gently guided it back to the ocean. It had become a habit for them: Mera would go on her morning swim and do her royal duty rounds, checking up to make sure everything was running smoothly, while Arthur would still be sleeping in bed. She would make her way to his room at about 10:30, waking him up to get their late breakfast together, and for Sunday, brunch. “My king” was not of formality, yet a pet name that Mera would use on her boyfriend.
It had been a whirlwind of a relationship for Mera and Arthur, balancing their time in Atlantis where Mera would teach Arthur the ins and outs of being royalty, with the time spent on the surface world, in turn, where Arthur would teach Mera the dwellings of surface people. It hadn’t been hard for Mera to find joy from the simplicities of the surface world, away from the royal duties that were incredibly time-consuming. Now with Queen Atlanna back in Atlantis, Atlanna had lightened the royal duties for Arthur, giving him the time to return the surface world every few days, and granting Mera a status that allowed her to travel to the surface with Arthur, but she hadn’t found the time to spend more than a mere few hours.
“Morning, love.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, disregarding her slightly wet hair as she sat down at the foot of his bed.
“Brunch is served and the queen is waiting for you in the hall,” Mera said, as she moved to lean with her back against Arthur. “She requests your presence,” She continued as she sighed, wanting to stay there longer, herself unhappy with her own request. Arthur slid lower in the bed, dragging Mera with him too. She could feel his heartbeat align with hers and she sunk deeper into his arms. They lay there for a moment, appreciating the majestic underwater kingdom.
“Okay, let’s go, as much as I know you hate getting out of bed, Arthur, you wouldn’t want to disappoint Queen Atlanna with your tardiness,” Mera said as she turned around and got off the bed to pull Arthur out of where he had covered himself with the blankets. Arthur stayed in place, grabbing on to the frame of the bed in an attempt to stop Mera from pulling him out. Mera couldn’t believe Arthur, who was head to toe in bulging muscles, intimidating and towering over basically everyone, in the sea and out of the sea, was such a sleepy head and a softy.
With one final pull, Mera yanked the king out of his bed, the clumsy and playful child within Arthur pulling Mera down so she was on top of him as he lay on his bedroom floor.
The redhead stifled a giggle, leaning down to kiss the king. “Now seriously, get up,” she ordered, brushing herself off and adding a touch of swaying as she swam to the doorway.
Arthur could only shake his head as he got up, rushing to keep up with Mera.
~
Arthur and Mera had finally reached the dining hall. The king reached out to push the turquoise blue door, which was adorned with emeralds and pearls. As they approached the dining table, they got to a point where the air bubble was, and as they stepped out pools of water formed at their feet.
“Arthur, Mera, here you are.“ The former queen was sat at the dining table, with a wide range of dishes spread out in front of her. It was in one of the bigger halls, a rectangular table that was made up of the finest pearl and gold. It was to sit only the royal family, however, Queen Atlanna had made an exception for Mera, as Arthur would only sit down to eat if she was alongside him. “Come, sit,” she gestured at the empty seat opposite of her. He let go of Mera’s hand, which had been intertwined ever since Arthur had caught up with her. The queen nodded to Mera, letting her know that she could join in the conversation.
“Arthur, Mera, it is Christmas tomorrow, Arthur has proposed to bring you to the surface and has asked for my permission. And I have agreed to it, as well as your father.” said Queen Atlanna, focusing her gaze on her son. “I know it’s dangerous, but we have decided that you’ll travel without companions. Watch and take care of each other.”
“Of course,” Arthur cleared his throat. “Well, you seemed to enjoy Sicily…… and roses,” He spoke under his breath as he playfully reminded her, which earned him a slap on the arm, although away from the view of the former Queen.
“That would be wonderful, your highness. Thank you so much,” Mera gushed, barely containing her excitement. She turned to Arthur, pressing a kiss to his cheek. The heat rose to her cheeks, turning an almost identical shade of red to her hair. It was improper, sure, but the former queen approved of the relationship, as it was bred out of love and not of traditional arranged marriage.
“You can leave tonight if you wish. Arthur has it all planned out.”