𝔒𝔲𝔯 𝔏𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔖𝔢𝔠𝔯𝔢𝔱 | ♛ A. Pendragon [ON HOLD]

A Hᴇʀᴀʟᴅ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Nᴇᴡ Aɢᴇ ᴘᴛ.₁

Enjoy!

  The young Queen was spending her time with Guinevere since the King was out with the knights. But spending time with her friend reminded Estelle that she hadn't heard from Morgana in a long time.

It worried her that she had no idea if her friend was alright, and even Merlin's concern grew. But neither of them knew where to look for answers.

It was early in the day that Estelle entered the Pendragon's chambers, thinking it would be wise to talk. She had to frown at seeing the state her husband was in and went to place William on the bed, gesturing for him to be quiet while he giggled softly.

Thereafter, she proceeded to the desk, where Arthur was sleeping, his face laid on the plate with food. Merlin had told her how little the blond slept, but she didn't think it was this bad.

"Arthur," she whispered, lightly shaking his shoulder, but the only reaction from him was a groan as he shifted in his sleep. Her lower lip was caged between her teeth as she tried to suppress a smile.

She leaned closer, caressing his cheek while he stirred from his slumber. "Artie, it's almost noon. You have a training to attend."

His eyes flew open as he sat up, causing her to lean away from him. She snorted at the fact that the stew was all over the left side of his face. "I was just reading," he asserted quickly and sat straight, trying to appear composed. 

"Oh, I can see that. Reading from your food," she amusedly commented and went to grab a cloth to help him clean himself.

He blinked a few times, seemingly trying to wake himself up. "The training," he asserted suddenly and went to stand up, but she was quick by his side, applying pressure to his shoulders to keep him in the seat.

"Don't worry. I postponed it, so you have another hour to freshen up," she assured him while wiping his face, "Though if I knew you'd be this exhausted, I'd have cancelled it right away."

He didn't find it within him to argue, as he was aware it would be of no use. He was tired, had been for some time now, but he knew it didn't matter. The kingdom came first, even before his personal needs.

His eyes fell close again, his face leaning into her palm, and she twirled his golden locks with her fingers. The moment she was satisfied with how he looked, cleaned up from the mess, she placed the cloth aside and cupped his cheek.

Arthur solely focused on her touch and presence, unable to sharpen his senses and listen to her as she talked.

"Arthur," Elle whispered with a sympathetic expression, "Are you even listening?"