Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of its associated materials. Anything that is not recognisably part of the franchise is my own.

The Fate of a Nation

Chapter 1: A Treaty

Arthur stared in horror at his father who was seated calmly on his throne, regarding his only on with a look of patient exasperation.

"Sire you can't be serious. The Daimyo are barbarians. We cannot honestly be considering an alliance." Merlin watched with quiet amusement as the crown prince's petulance once again became known to the court. It was typical Arthur that his first reaction would be to judge the Treaty based on it's makers rather than its contents. He knew that had Arthur paused to think even for a moment, that he would have acknowledged the Treaty to be entirely beneficial to Camelot and that it could bring nothing but good for his people. But he was young and his first response was still an emotional, rather than a logical, one.

"Arthur, the alliance offered by the Daimyo is mutually beneficial." Uther said reasonably, "Daimyo is an empire – their resources are enormous but they rely on trade to procure almost all of their copper – a resource we have in abundance. We in turn need the iron the Daimyo are willing to offer us. This Treaty will guarantee we trade almost exclusively with each other – guaranteeing our ability to procure iron at a fair and reasonable price for generations." Arthur was already nodding before his father had even finished talking. Camelot needed iron – the Kingdom's own natural resources did not promise to be enough to support the ever growing demand.

He caught Merlin's eye and his young man-servant offered him a smirk in response. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Arthur addressed his father. "When does the envoy arrive?" he inquired, mentally preparing himself to deal with yet another grovelling politician.

"In two days time." Uther said, rising from his seat and fixing his son with a knowing gaze. "And I expect the whole court to be in attendance." He nodded once when his son raised no objections before sweeping out of the room to attend to his duties.

The rest of the court followed, and Arthur was left standing with Merlin in the empty audience chamber.

"There goes your hopes of dodging the meeting, then." The sorcerer noted, with far too much delight for Arthur's liking. He fixed the young man with a glare and arranged his features into the haughtiest expression he could muster.

"Yes well, I don't know what you're looking so pleased about. As my servant you'll be required to attend and since this is a formal event you'll get a chance to wear that ceremonial outfit you like so much." He called the last words over his shoulder as he followed his father's footsteps out of the hall. It gave him great pleasure to hear Merlin's groan of annoyance behind him.

"Are you sure I have to wear this?" Merlin asked Gaius, arms spread wide in the vain hope that his mentor might rescue him from this torment.

"Oh yes." The physician said firmly, suppressing the smile that was threatening to explode across his features. His ward spared him an exasperated look before jamming the horrendously feathered hat down onto his head.

"Sometimes," he muttered under the obscuring veil of feathers, "I think you and Arthur are in league with each other."

Gaius chuckled slightly as he busied himself with the remedies littering his workbench. "What nonsense," he told Merlin fondly. "Now run along," he instructed firmly, "the meeting starts soon, and Arthur would never forgive you if you were late." He smiled as he heard the young man sigh dramatically, shaking his head as he listened to his apprentices quick steps hurry away into the distance. He wondered what Merlin would think when he found out that the tradition of wearing ceremonial robes for such occasions had been rendered obsolete years ago.

Arthur smirked softly to himself as he watched Merlin grind his teeth on the opposite side of the hall. The expression on the face of Morgana's serving maid, Gwen he thought her name was, had rendered the moment all the more priceless. The girl had tried desperately to retain a look of polite indifference, but it was clear for everyone to see that she was struggling not to smile. Morgana had looked politely horrified before turning to berate the prince, in a low turn, for tormenting his servant in such a manner. Arthur had brushed the remonstrance off lightly; all too used to mothering tone Morgana was prone to taking with him.

A gong sounded in the distance and the entire court straightened as one, Uther sitting more upright in his throne. The sound was not one native to Camelot and all knew it signalled the arrival of the Daimyo envoy. The doors to the hall swung open, and a proud looking man – with the peach-gold skin and almond eyes of the Daimyo peoples – swept elegantly into the chamber.

Arthur spared a moment to admire the wealth of the Daimyo nation if even their diplomats could afford to dress in such a manner. Beside him, Morgana breathed her silent admiration at the finery displayed before them. The envoy's robes, seemed to shimmer and reflect the late afternoon sunlight, the silk shifting as though it were a living creature rather than ordinary cloth. The blue was of a shade more vibrant than any found in Camelot and it seemed as though the cloth had been dipped in liquid jewels.

The envoy dropped into a sweeping bow before Uther, taking a moment to acknowledge the Crown Prince and the royal ward before he began his speech.

Arthur only listened with half an ear to most of it. From the opening lines, he knew it would contain the usual platitudes and hopes for friendship that all such speeches contained before the envoy would go on to outline the basic wishes of his masters and offer a date for their arrival in the Kingdom. However, just as Arthur was preparing for the meeting to draw to a close – a date for the arrival of the Daimyo representatives having just been agreed upon – the envoy made a particularly unusual request.

"Your Majesty, my lord and master the Great King Daichi would like to propose an alliance of marriage between the Prince Arthur Pendragon and his daughter, the Princess Miyuki." Voices rose in a buzz around the room as the court began to whisper of the implications of such an alliance. Uther raised a hand and all fell silent waiting to hear what would be said. The envoy continued on, apparently determined to deliver his speech in full before hearing a response on the matter. "My lord and master has no wish to trap either the Prince or his daughter in a marriage not to their liking, nor would he wish for such a marriage to be the foundations for an alliance. Rather he hopes that the offer will be taken as it was meant – in a gesture of good faith – and that Your Majesty would allow the Prince and Princess to meet, so that they may – for themselves – decide whether a marriage is at all likely."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, in silent contemplation of the offer. Usually when such alliances were suggested they were offered on the grounds of cementing a Treaty. Instead, the King of Daimyo seemed confident that the alliance would last without such an incentive but that a bond between their two countries could not hurt. A glance in Morgana's direction showed that she was equally surprised. A glance in Merlin's showed he was just confused.

Looking up, he saw his father's gaze upon him. The King raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly andArthur incline his head just as much. He would meet the Princess.

"Very well." Uther said, rising to his feet. "We welcome the representatives of Daimyo four weeks hence and we welcome the Princess Miyuki and any escort she may bring. Take my compliments and greetings back to your king."

The envoy dropped once more into a sweeping bow before exciting from the throne room. Uther resumed his seat and with a wave of his hand dismissed the court. Only Arthur, Morgana and Merlin – after Arthur's jerk of his head to indicate his presence was required – remained behind. Ultimately, it was Morgana who spoke.

"What could the King's motives be, do you think, for not insisting upon an alliance?" She asked, smoothing unseen wrinkles from her skirts. Watching the gesture, Merlin frowned. He briefly wondered how Morgana felt about the proposed alliance. She had after all been heralded as the woman who would one day be queen. Now, an unseen and unknown Princess had the potential to take that from her. He wondered if she cared – for Arthur or the queen-ship.

"I don't know." Uther muttered, resting his jaw on his fist, as he stared out the window in contemplation.

"Maybe he simply did not want to trap his daughter in an arranged marriage, like the envoy said." Arthur offered. Merlin looked at his friend and master in surprise. There was a lilt of hope to his voice that prompted the young Warlock to acknowledge that Arthur too probably had reservations about marrying a stranger.

"Perhaps." Uther agreed, though he did not seem convinced. Collecting himself he shook his head and stood. "Whatever the motive, it should become clear when the delegation arrives. Until then we can only wonder, which is pointless." Stepping down off the dais, he spared a smile for Morgana before turning to his son. "Arthur, you ride with me and the guard at dawn." He glanced in Merlin's direction and the young man felt his cheeks warm, "Perhaps my telling you now will prevent you needing to send servants to check for you later." With a final glare in Merlin's direction he left the room, Morgana at his heels.

Arthur shot Merlin a rueful glance, that the other boy simply shook his head at, before leading the way from the room.