Destined to Be | Arthur Pendragon

The Festival Begins

"Artie! Artie! Where are you, Artie?" a six-year old Adeline hollered, running through the countless corridors of the castle. "Artie, come on! It's dinnertime, and I'm SO hungry!"

"When are you not hungry?" the young prince jumped out from behind the tapestry.

"Ahhhhh!" Adeline jumped around, accidentally slapping Arthur in the face. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Artie! I didn't mean to slap you. You scared me."

"It's ok, Ada," he rubbed his cheek. "I should have told you I was there. Let's go to the dining hall. Our parents are probably wondering where we are anyway."

"Yay!" Adeline exclaimed, grabbing onto Arthur's hand. "I wonder what's for dinner."

"Only one way to find out," Arthur laughed, following behind her. "I do hope there's pudding."

"There's always pudding, silly goose," Adeline giggled. "We have to make sure we get some before Johnathan gets to it."

Arthur gasped loudly. There was no way he was going to let Johnathan eat all of HIS pudding. Tightening his grip on her hand, the prince increased their pace.

"If I would have known pudding was the key to getting you to take me to dinner, I would have said something forever ago."

"There you two are," Mary Dartmouth announced from the long table. "We were wondering where you had wandered off to this time."

"I'm sorry, Momma," Adeline mumbled. "Arthur was hiding too well during hide and seek. I tried to find him as fast as I could."

"It's all right, dear," Mary smiled at her daughter. "You're here now, and that's all that matters. Now come and eat up. We have a long day tomorrow."

"Yes, Momma," Adeline said, dropping Arthur's hand, but not before kissing his red cheek. "I'm sorry I slapped your face."

"It's ok. It was an accident," Arthur blushed. "Let's eat."

"Good morning, My Lady," Adeline's eyes popped open and sunlight entered her room. "I trust you slept well."

"Good morning, Chloe," Adeline let out a loud yawn, stretching her arms over her head. "Did you enjoy your night?"

"I did, thank you," the maidservant nodded, opening the final set of curtains in Adeline's room. "I really appreciate you giving me the day off."

"Of course," Adeline smiled at her. "Are you looking forward to the festivities that await us?"

"Oh yes," Chloe answered, going through the dresses in the armoire. "I've heard so much about Camelot, mainly from you; it's going to be wonderful to see it and experience it for myself. I have no doubt in my mind this festival will be extravagant."

"I'm sure Uther spared no expense," Adeline joined her maid, browsing through the large amount of clothing. "I think the red one. What's say you?"

"I was thinking the same thing," the two women grinned.

Merlin was having a hard time keeping track of the situation before him. The room was bustling with people while the servants served breakfast. There was no way he was going to be able to remember every important person that passed by him.

"It's a bit much to take in, isn't it?" Giaus asked him. "It's been a very long time since there have been this many guests in the castle at one time."

"This is going to be a nightmare."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Every time Uther has hosted an event, it has run smoothly."

"I don't think knights with magical shields and wraiths would equate to running smoothly, would you? Besides, those tournaments did not have nearly this many people. Something is bound to go wrong. I can feel it."