Chapter Text
~ BROTHERS OF THE SWORD ~
Prologue : One Year before Merlin Arrives
He watches his twin suspiciously across the Hall of Records. Arthur’s got that fairly nonchalant look about him as he wanders past all the endless aisles and stacks of books - a look that normally means he’s plotting some kind of mischief.
Artorius hums. “I’m concentrating, Arthur. Father wants me to memorise the entire text of King Bruta’s peace accord with the five kingdoms. Please don’t disturb me.”
The heavy tome lying in front of him certainly looks like a hefty piece of Camelotian history. Turning the page, Artorius admires the beautifully rendered Latin calligraphy with the keen eye of a scholar. The story of how the first ruler of Camelot united the ancient tribes of Albion, enshrining the territorial boundaries into law for the first time, is much beloved by Uther’s eldest son. Gazing upon a depiction of the great king astride his warhorse, Artorius forgets the presence of his brother for a second – and that is all it takes.
Arthur’s hand is in his hair before he can protest, ruffling his blond locks into a disorderly mess - and completely ruining any chance he had of studying.
“Arthur!”
Snapping shut the old tome, Artorius lunges for his twin.
~~
Arthur’s own studies were not as…strenuous as Artorius’ were. And more often than not, he studied with Gaius rather than stay stuck in the library. His father didn’t approve of that and that just made him stay there even more. However, he was being forced to join his brother in the library and he found it all so boring. Even more so was that huge book that his twin was trying to read. He’d tried reading it once and barely got past the first page.
“You know it will take you ages to memorize that, don’t you?” Arthur truly was bored out of his mind, wandering the shelves as he was and contemplating bothering his twin.
Artorius wouldn’t be pleased about it now, but he might thank him later. His brother was far too serious most of the time and needed to lighten up. So could he be blamed when he reached out and ruffled his hair.
Laughing delightedly, Arthur ran, dodging around a curious Geoffrey in the process. At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if his brother tackled him down, but he would dodge his every attempt. He wasn’t the best knight for nothing after all.
He might have knocked over a few precariously stacked books as he glanced back to see Artorius gaining on him fast. Arthur managed to get out of the library, though not without nearly bumping into someone else in the process, he apologized, cast them one quick glance to make sure that they didn’t knock anything over before he continued on down the hallway.
~~
He’s going to get him. He’s going to wrestle that cheeky twin of his to the ground; pin him down with his arms behind his back so he can’t wriggle off and escape. Maybe then he’ll ruffle Arthur’s hair, just to see how much he likes it - Artorius would certainly apply more pressure; digging in with his knuckles until his brother begged him to stop with an apology.
Arthur however darts just out of reach as he lunges, laughing in that terribly pleased way of his. Artorius snarls. He’s hardly about to give up so easily, and perhaps his brother was counting on this. Chasing his doppelganger around several desks, he pays little mind to the high stacks of books swaying precariously all around them. The librarian, Geoffrey of Monmouth, gapes as the pile of books on Camelot’s famous architecture finally comes crashing down, knocked over by one of the royal twins.
“Watch what you’re doing, young Prince Artorius!”
“Prince Arthur!” He almost screams. “That’s my brother who’s the irresponsible one!”
Of course, it’s hopeless to try and correct the servants. To them, they both look equally guilty. Or innocent. It’s clearly a matter of perspective. Artorius scowls as he pursues Arthur out of the Hall of Records, tripping over his feet at the kerb of the door and almost scattering an armful of scrolls held by a passing scribe.
The chase is on.
He races after his brother along a corridor and down a winding staircase, weaving in and out of the people moving in the opposite direction. A yeoman raises his voice in protest as he’s rudely shoved to one side. A shocked noblewoman clutches her pearls as she totters on her feet. Artorius keeps his eyes on the prize, hurtling down the last few steps of the tower and chasing Arthur out into the open bailey.
Servants shaking out the laundry on the tower ramparts pause in their duties to stop and stare at the two furiously running figures. Elsewhere an orderly withdraws a piece of straw from his mouth, as his cart bearing sacks of grain is drawn towards the castle pantry for unloading. It is not yet midday but the castle is already a hive of activity. The sight of the two princes of Camelot giving chase to one another is unexpected, yet hardly surprising. Some of the older hands would remember the early years when two little blond boys used to hit each other with wooden swords near the well of the courtyard.
Artorius breathes deeply, feeling his muscles already beginning to tire as he makes another failed attempt at grasping his brother’s waist. Arthur himself shows little signs of slowing down, but then he wouldn’t, would he? He’s the finest of all the knights in Camelot; always swinging his sword around, even wearing all that ridiculously heavy chainmail. Did he ever get tired? Chasing his brother into the kitchens, Artorius feels the heat of the ovens cause the sweat to trickle even further down his back. He watches as Arthur grabs a cooked chicken leg from a table ahead, rolling his eyes as the shrill voice of the cook is heard. Barrelling past the portly belly of one of her sous-chefs, Artorius skids across the floor, narrowly avoiding being collared by said cook himself.
Picking himself up, he wipes down his red jacket, giving the cook a curt little shake of the head, pointing at his twin and mouthing ‘that one’ before dashing off again. He won’t give up. He can’t stop now for want of his pride. But oddly enough, it’s almost started to become fun… leaving behind the stuffy cloisters of the library and working out his frustrations in a burst of physical activity has provided just the antidote to the heavy weight of responsibility Uther usually piled upon his shoulders.
Chuckling a little breathlessly, Artorius slows down finally near the wall of the keep, putting his hands on his knees as he slows his racing heartbeat. He watches as Arthur spins back quizzically, wondering if the chase is up.
The elder prince suppresses his grin, letting his brother come back to him.
“Ah-Arthur. Don’t you think these games are becoming a little childish? We’re not little boys anymore. Do you really think father would approv-”
Arthur’s close enough and Artorius doesn’t wait to finish the sentence. He springs forward, slinging his arms around his twin and throwing him over onto his back upon the grass.
Gotcha.
~~
Arthur wasn’t entirely sure if Artorius would chase him out of the library, but the moment he heard him behind him, he sped up toward the kitchens. There were startled gasps of surprise from the kitchen maids and boys, but he paid them no mind as he grabbed a chicken leg off a table. Ignoring one of the chefs, he hurries off, eating as he goes.
They’ve been through half of the castle already and Arthur delighted in this. He hadn’t had this much fun with his brother since they were younger children. And oh how they had done this before. They had definitely gotten scolded by their father then too, but he never minded. Not truly.
Tossing the chicken leg in a bin as they near the keep, Arthur felt like he could keep going. People look surprised at him as he passes and he knew word of this would go to Uther. Uther would be disappointed. He’d scold Arthur once more, tell him off from distracting him twin from his studies. Though if Arthur had his way, Artorius would not have to study nearly as much as he did. He was grateful he got to go out on hunts with the knights, that he got to practice with them far more than his brother did, because he couldn’t stand being stuck in the castle for too long.
Turning around mid-run, Arthur saw that his twin was slowing down. A small smirk curled up his lips as he taunted, “Can’t keep up anymore, can you? I knew you’ve been cooped up inside for far too long.” When was the last time Artorius had competed in a tourney as well? He at least ought to get his brother on the training grounds more often.
“Childish? I’d say not. It’s fun.” He grinned at that, shrugging his shoulders as if he was saying, ‘Do I ever care what father thinks?’ These days he didn’t, not with the way Uther treated him.
Just when he thinks to start going forward again, Artorius grabs him and they go tumbling to the ground. He gasped out loud, breath shaking a bit with laughter. “You got me!” He cried out, feigning surprise. He’d known Artorius would get him as some point, he just didn’t expect it yet. Then again, his brother had been smart to use the tactic to get him to talk and slow down.
Wriggling a bit, Arthur tried to get away, but Artorius had too good of a hold on him and he knew that he was after revenge. “Don’t you dare,” he told him, seeing that familiar look in his eyes. He knew what his twin was going to do, ruffle his hair as well. Though before he could react more to it, there was a shadow looming over them both.
Uther.
Arthur didn’t look bothered by his presence, but Artorius would be. He managed to slide out of his brothers arms and stood, offering out a hand to Artorius to help him up in the process.
“What is going on here?” Uther asked in a disapproving tone, his eyes narrowed at the two of them. Knowing he didn’t want to get his twin in trouble, Arthur spoke up. “It was me. I started it all. If you’re going to punish anyone, punish me.” Ever the brave soldier, he thought as he stared his father down. Uther could have him in the stocks if he chose. Instead, he just looked disappointed.
“You can help the librarian clean up all of the books you knocked over and you can take dinner in your room tonight. Alone.” Uther looks pointedly between them both before directed his gaze to his eldest son. “And you can get back to your studies. I expect that book read by the end of the week.” With that, Uther turned and left them both. Arthur did feel a bit guilty, but only because he was sure he’d caused Artorius to have to read that gigantic book much sooner than he’d had to before.
“I’m sorry, Artorius,” Arthur said softly so that their father who was walking away wouldn’t hear. “I just thought…we needed a bit of fun."
~~
Arthur is right to worry. He’s been caught and Artorius will have his revenge, regardless of any stern words to the contrary. Clambering up his brother’s back, he keeps Arthur pinned face down on the grass until he reaches his shoulders. From there he wraps an arm around his neck, rolling his brother over against his side.
“You should have thought about that before spoiling my hair.” He bites back, although a wicked grin is on his face as he gleefully rakes his fingers through identical blond locks. Ah, revenge truly was sweet. Artorius looks down at his wriggling brother, unable to refrain from taunting him in turn.
“Still think I spend too long indoors? That I can’t keep up with such a fine knight as yourself?”
A shadow falls over the princes.
Of the two, Artorius is the slower to respond; pausing in his teasing only when he hears the distinct cough of their father. Oh god… Artorius’ hold on his brother immediately slackens, and Arthur slips easily out of his grasp.
“What is going on here?” Uther questions them, a coldness to his voice that implies a swift and brutal punishment. Artorius feels his mouth go dry, eyes darting to one side as he hunts for an alibi. His twin however beats him to it. “It was me. I started it all. If you’re going to punish anyone, punish me.”
The elder twin shuts his eyes, shaking his head silently. Arthur. Always the self-sacrificing one. Artorius looks over at him, a little bit frustrated by his brother’s insistence on throwing himself into the front line of danger. They had spoken about this before; about how Arthur’s inability to think before he leapt to the defence of the underdog often got him into a lot of unnecessary trouble. It almost became Artorius’ sacred duty to get his younger brother out of such blunders.
Uther however, doesn’t seem too keen on punishing Arthur today. Perhaps it’s because he is not being groomed in quite the same way? The elder prince knows if the blame had been attributed to him, Uther would have likely had him writing lines and lines in Latin until his fingers bled. Or else he’d have put Artorius in a suit of armour, instructing several of the king’s guard to beat him for target practice, until his son learnt to stay focussed.
No, tidying up a stack of fallen books in the library and eating dinner alone is mild penitence, as far as Artorius is concerned. He smiles kindly though, once Uther has left, as his twin says sorry to him, clasping his brother’s shoulder warmly.
“You don’t need to apologise Arthur. Not for what you did. That was nobly done.”
He lowers his voice. “And I did have fun today with you. Once I’d managed to ruffle some sense back into your foolish head.”
Artorius tweaks Arthur’s ear, fighting to stop his smile from spreading across his face. Any moment now, one of them is likely to punch the other, and then they’d be back to squabbling all over again.
As the sun sinks slowly over the horizon, the two princes make their way back inside the castle. Walking side by side through the courtyard, they look up almost simultaneously as Gwen appears on Morgana’s balcony, shaking out a dusty rug over the balustrade. A small smirk slides onto Prince Artorius’ face as he watches her dainty figure, leaning in closer to whisper in his twin’s ear.
“Don’t you think Guinevere looks exceptionally beautiful this evening?”