ooc | Charles & Arthur
Cousin!!!! (aka one of the best relationships ;D)
Honestly being cousins w/ the actual king (almost) makes up for the fact that Arthur’s insufferable half-brother thinks that the relation extends to him!!!
Tbh as much as he definitely appreciates the connection, he does have a lot of loyalty for his family, in general, and even if Arthur wasn’t the king, he would still do literally anything for him!! Annnd he also has a lot of national pride and loyalty to the crown, too, so Arthur gets double points for that!!
Because of this, I think Charles is probably more blind to Arthur’s faults than he might otherwise be. I don’t think he approves of Arthur’s flirtations/the fact that he has an official mistress while searching for a bride and I also think he probably finds his tendencies to want to do the opposite of what he’s told childish (even if I think he would also kind of understand the desire to escape blindly doing what others wish who would control him, as Charles has witnessed his own brothers being manipulated by their father). However, since both king and a cousin, I don’t think Charles judges him harshly on this, if at all – definitely not as severely as he would if he was anyone else.
(Also depending on their relationship, he might raise his concerns about Arthur’s behavior – but it would only be to Arthur and Arthur alone and nEVER in front of anyone else. He would also not let a single word be said against him by literally anyone and would fight them on it even if he agreed with them #facepalm).
Anyway, I’m not sure what exact relationship they would have, beyond this??? They are both the same age, so I think that’s in their favor if they spent a lot of time growing up??? I can see them being good friends and kinda of balancing each other, but I can also see where Arthur might find him to be a wet noodle b/c Charles is the kind of guy to point out how they shouldn’t be doing something whenever would try to do anything remotely fun ;DD
hands down ideal relationship 10/10 <3333333333
arthur frankly 100% agrees w everything charles is selling about arthur tbh!!!!! he’s like ‘is it hard to be this wise and gorgeous and glamorous and courageous at such a young age? [ pause for effect ] maybe for someone else!’ asdlkfjkjsdf like ambrose, arthur really thinsk he’s smth special but, unlike ambrose, arthur has enough brains to do smth which it which...arguably makes him worse buT here we are laksjdfkljsdf he’s also grown up as king, so that def can’t have any lasting ramifictions at all dslkajfsdjkf
frankly charles is 100% RIGHT in everything he disapproves!!! i def think, even in private, it depends how charles approaches it. if its just friendly advice, he’d clap him on the back and maybe lowkey listen -- or just tell him to ‘shut up and [insert charles’ turn of whatever activity they’re in the middle of or whatever],’ depending on his mood. in the lowkey listening situation, tho, he might even grudgingly kinda do smth about it a lil bit -- not enough that septimus would notice or feel he’d scored a win, never that, but a bit hahah i do think that, since charles genuinely thinks arthur’s awesome and isn’t just ~saying stuff to ~get stuff, which i think is how 99% of arthur’s interactions go down, he gives charles a lot more ground than other ppl, tho arthur def is changeable and when he’s not in the mood he’s not
if, however, charles approached it in a disciplinary/accusatory YOU DID BAD BUCK UP FLY STRAIGHT etc, that would NOT fly and arthur would noT look kindly on that council alksdfjsdf tbh i feel like he has an official mistress expressly BECAUSE septimus told him to keep it on the dl oops alksdjfjksdf but he’d just smile -- not quite with his eyes -- and clap charles on the back, thanking him for his council, and then turn around and, like, banish him from court or smth lksdjafkjdf (only to summon him back again abt a week later bc he ended up getting stuck w ambrose talking to him instead and, arthur cannot STAND ambrose alksdjfkjsdf) bc he does noT accept criticism
arthur ALSO puts a lot of store by family -- at least, kind of????? he’s...got issues w most of his family members bc, well, their family’s got issues, but yeah lsdkjfkjadsf i do think, growing up an orphan, he’s kinda sanctified both his parents in his head (which is part of why he despies charlotte, he sort of unpacks a lot of the issues the family has on ~her bc he sees her as an interloper whose tryna replace his mom etc but...idk how i got talking abt that lkajsdfkljsd anywayyyy) and so he kinda sees charles and his fav cousins as little glimpses into his mom, etc, and so there’s a degree to which his fam can do no wrong????? except septimus, but septimus is tryna control him so that’s its own thing aklsdjfkjdsf
so laksjdfkljds all that being said!!!! i feel like yes...and yes! that is, i feel like they probs are tight childhood friends AND i feel like he thinks charles is a wet noodle laksdjfkljds arthur is super reckless w a lil bit of a god complex so he’s like LETS DO THIS INSANE THING and charles is questioning it and arthur is like GODS MAN WHERES YOUR COURAGE and then promptly dies in a fiery wreck probably alksdjfkjdsfj no but!!! i feel like he does roll his eyes at him a loT but also charles has probs kept him from accidentally killing himself -- and he NEVER gets credit for that asfgjklgfd meanwhile he should probs get a medal every other week for saving the king’s life smh
