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When Arthur was young, he remembered asking his father about the golden thread on his finger and seeing Uther pale before going red. In a stern voice, his father told him that that meant a magic user had stolen his soulmate from him, either bewitching them or outright taking the thread from his original mate. It was a way for them to get to the crown and it meant that he needed to avenge his soulmate. The day he met the person that the thread was connected to now, he would have to kill them. Arthur’s eyes welled with tears that Uther scolded him for as he realized that he didn’t have a soulmate and he never truly would. He grew to hate his thread, knowing that it connected him to a murderer and he threw himself into training so that he could fulfill the task his father gave him and avenge his soulmate that never would be. That drove him through his training, until Morgana came.
When Morgana asked him about his soulmate, saying she felt sorry for whoever they were, he angrily said that he didn’t have one and Morgana softened for the first time since getting here.
“You mean you don’t have a thread?”
“Of course I have a thread!” Morgana’s face creased in confusion, before she riled up.
“Well then you have a soulmate, idiot!”
“No, a magic user stole the thread, they’re a liar and a murderer!”
“That’s not possible, you absolute moron!”
“It’s gold, what else would it mean?” Morgana’s face blanched and she took a step backward, before stealing herself and stepping forward again.
“Arthur, that doesn’t mean that they stole it, that isn’t possible, even for a sorcerer. It means that they have magic.” Arthur’s mind whirled. It couldn’t be possible, that would mean- That would mean that Uther lied.
“But, why would- Magic is evil, father says so!” It felt like a desperate defense and Morgana knew it.
“My father says-said that magic isn’t evil, it’s just a tool, like your sword.”
“But- But why would father say that then?”
“I think it’s because he’s scared of it. But that’s not a good reason to hurt people!”
“But magic hurts people, it corrupts, he said so!”
“Power corrupts, like when one of the knights thinks that they’re better than the people. You’ve seen it, remember Sir Lannikan?” He did, that knight wasn’t dismissed, but Arthur thought that he didn’t understand his oaths, hurting or pushing around servants and commoners wasn’t what Sir Leon said was right for a knight to do.
“But Father told me that they were dead and that I needed to avenge them.” Morgana’s eyes flashed and her face went pink with fury.
“Arthur, you have to believe me, they are your soulmate and they have magic, that shouldn’t be enough to get them killed. Uther is lying.” Arthur glanced around her rooms nervously, but no one was around. “I have something to show you. You know how you can’t touch the thread?” Arthur nodded. “Well, if you have magic, you can make a part of it visible.” Arthur’s eyes widened as Morgana reached for her pinky finger and grabbed something, before a beautiful golden thread was revealed.
“It’s- It’s beautiful. Wait, you said that only people with magic can-”
“I don’t know why I can do this, I’ve been able to since I was a child. My father told me to keep it secret, but, he’s gone and I think I can trust you. You’re an idiot, but you’re not terrible.” It was the highest praise Morgana had given him so far and Arthur knew in that moment that he would never tell.
A year passed in this fashion, with Arthur and Morgana becoming closer friends until one day when they were out at market, Morgana grabbed his sleeve and stuttered to a stop, her eyes fixed on the smithy.
“Arthur.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Arthur, it’s her, it’s my-” She leaned forward, eyes still fixed on the smithy door where a small figure was bustling about. “It’s my soulmate.”
“Morgana, that’s amazing! Let’s go-”
“No! What if she doesn’t like me? What if she hates me for-”
“She’s your soulmate and you’re Morgana. If you could make me like you, you can make anyone love you.” Morgana smiled, but it was a thin, pale thing. Arthur forced her fingers to let go of his sleeve and took a hold of her hands instead, turning her to face him. “She’ll love you. Just follow me, it’s going to be okay.” Morgana nodded tentatively and stumbled after him, eyes darting between the door and Arthur until they reached the entrance to the smithy. Nodding encouragingly, Arthur knocked on the frame, hearing a young girl’s voice calling that she was coming.
“Oh, your highness, how can I-” The voice stumbled to a stop with the girl as her eyes moved from Arthur to Morgana and stayed there, flicking down to the thread at her own finger and following it back to Morgana. Her mouth was still a bit agape as she stared, before she tentatively smiled. Even nervous as it was, it was a beaming bit of sunlight and Arthur immediately felt something in him melt, Morgana seemed to as well, since she gave a shy smile back as well.
“Hello.” Morgana’s voice was still shaking.
“Hello… soulmate. What’s your name?”
“Morgana, of the house Gorlois. What’s yours?” The girl’s eyes widened, dropping into a curtsey. Morgana’s eyes widened and she rushed forward to grab the girl’s hands and pull her up. “Please, you don’t have to. You’ll never have to do that, not to me. We’re soulmates, equals in all ways. What can I call you?”
“I- Gwen, my name is Gwen. Guinevere.” Morgana echoed the name, seeming to taste it like the sweetest candy.
“That’s a beautiful name.” She paused before seeming to gather her courage. “You’re beautiful.” Gwen blushed and ducked her head before finding the same courage from Morgana.
“You are too, Morgana.” They seemed to get lost in each other eyes, before bursting forward at the same time to hug each other and break into laughter. Arthur felt his own face smiling a ridiculously wide and Morgana turned to beam at him.
“Arthur! I have a soulmate!”
“Of course you do, silly.” He turned to face Gwen and smile and bowed a bit to her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Guinevere.” She was still red, but seemed to go even more red before starting to curtsey again, Morgana stopping her once more.
“Hello, Prince Arthur.”
“Arthur is fine.”
“Arthur then.” She said, decisively. Still grinning, Morgana looped her arms through both of theirs.
“I have a wonderful feeling about this.” And if Morgana said that in that tone, then it would be so.
Over the next few years, they operated in secret, knowing Uther’s stance on things. Working to find Morgana books from the hidden section of the library (Arthur had a feeling the librarian knew more than he seemed to), getting Gwen set up as a lady in waiting for Morgana, and Arthur training with the knights and learning statecraft. Sporadically, he would vent to the other two and they would assure him that he could make it and one day, it would be better. It was harder on the days with executions, all three of them turning away if they could. Arthur wasn’t permitted that luxury frequently and each death felt like a weight on his soul as well, making him prickly on those days.
It was on that day that the gold of the thread felt heavy on his finger when he ran into him for the first time.
Arthur hadn’t been paying attention to the thread or where he was going, so when he bumped into someone, he had a smarmy remark prepared immediately, but it got caught in his throat as he met the most striking set of blue eyes he had ever seen.
“You okay, friend?” The voice was warm, but a bit cautious. Arthur was about to respond when he glanced down and saw the thread, drawn taught between the two and he gaped. The stranger looked down and gasped when he saw the same thing. He looked up into Arthur’s eyes and Arthur felt himself falling in the depths before shaking himself out of it, looking around and seeing no one paying close attention.
“We need to get out of view, there’s so much to tell you.”
“Maybe some introductions, first?” The voice had a bit of edge now.
“Of course, I’m Pr- Arthur, just Arthur.”
“It’s good to meet you, Arthur, I’m Merlin.” Arthur felt his mouth sound out the name, like Morgana had all those years ago. It felt like cider in his mouth.
“There’s some people you need to meet and some things to know, but for now, I’m glad to have met you, Merlin.”
And they went to meet with Morgana and Gwen. Merlin paled when he found out that Arthur was actually Prince Arthur, but rallied admirably. That night, he saved Arthur’s life for the first time and they kept to themselves until out of sight, tumbling into an embrace at how close it had been. When Merlin met the dragon, he told Arthur. When the dragon tried to warn him about Morgana, they all talked. When Gaius cautioned Merlin, he ignored it and supported Morgana anyway. And when Uther fell a year later, after many adventures, Arthur stepped forward and the kingdom flourished, becoming a haven for all.