Chapter Text
The sun shone through the shutters, tickling Arthur's face, and the birds chirped, encouraging him to get up. He lay in bed awaiting the usual “Good morning, sire” from Merlin, but it didn't come. He lay there for a while, hoping Merlin was late, as usual. He had, for a moment, happily forgotten Merlin wasn't around. He eventually couldn’t wait any longer; he had things to do and needed to get up. He sighed deeply and rolled out of bed, hesitantly walking over to get dressed. he didn't want to go through the hassle of getting Gaius to help yet again; he should be able to do it on his own. He is 27 years old, for god’s sake.
After a long struggle to properly lace his blouse, he finally managed to do a decent job, making him look presentable. As he got dressed, his thoughts were predominantly on Merlin. He realized that he wouldn’t wait for Merlin to come back any longer; he was determined to bring him home, where he truly belonged – beside him.
Arthur quickly finished his most important tasks. Once he had some free time, he looked for the stable boy and urgently asked for a saddled horse. Gwen, feeling suspicious all morning, stopped him before he could leave. "Where are you going, Sire?" Her voice, though soft, carried the weight of unasked questions. Arthur, his gaze fixed on the horizon, gave a brief reply. "I'm going to get Merlin." He didn't linger or explain; he knew Gwen wouldn't try to stop him. However, he also understood that her concern was valid. A sigh escaped her lips, a mix of resignation and worry. "Be safe," she murmured, watching as he spurred his horse. The sound of loud hooves echoed as he raced toward Ealdor.
Two days later, Arthur arrived at Ealdor around noon. His presence instantly drew a great deal of attention, and soon the entire village surrounded him. However, the one person Arthur wanted by his side, Merlin, wasn’t there, and neither was Hunith. Arthur sighed quietly to himself and got down from the horse, tying it to a pole. "Sire, may I ask why we are honored by your presence here today?" a villager inquired. He grimaced slightly, as even after years of ruling the kingdom, he still wasn't accustomed to the formality of the civilians. "I'm here for Merlin," he announced. A small girl shyly tugged on Arthur's cape. Once he noticed her, she pointed toward a small house. Arthur recognized where Merlin’s mother lived; he had been there before, but he appreciated the girl's desire to help. He gently ruffled her hair and smiled. "Thank you for your help," he said before heading toward the house.
Arthur stood outside the old door, contemplating whether to enter. However, he soon decided against it; it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to barge in, so he knocked and waited for a response. "Come in," Merlin's voice called out. Arthur wasn’t going to admit it, but he had really missed Merlin's voice and hearing it again caused a warmth to spread in him. He walked in and closed the door behind himself. "Hello," he said, his eyes quickly finding Merlin in the dimly lit home. He fought the urge to run over and hug Merlin. "Arthur? What are you doing here? Is there trouble back in Camelot?" Merlin asked, making that cute expression he always makes when he's worried. Arthur could hardly resist him, so he finally gave in and hugged Merlin. "Everything is going smoothly in Camelot," Arthur said, his voice warm with reassurance. "I came because Gaius could use a helping hand – at least, that's what he mentioned to me. But if I'm being honest, I think he just misses you." He was the one missing Merlin, but he wouldn’t tell Merlin that; it would only boost his ego or, worse, ruin their dynamic.
Hunith watched them and smiled softly. As a mother, she could clearly see the love Merlin felt for Arthur, and Arthur's love was poorly hidden as well; it was honestly baffling to her that Merlin couldn’t see it.
"You can tell him he doesn't have to miss me for much longer, my mom is getting better, so hopefully I’ll be able to ride back in the next couple of days," Merlin explained, smiling softly, his cute dimples showing up. Arthur almost melted at the sight. Merlin's smile went straight to his heart, and he could stare at it for hours. Then the words hit his ears. "A couple of days?" He quietly asked, trying not to show his disappointment. Merlin nodded and was about to say something when Hunith interrupted. "I'm alright, Merlin, I can handle myself from now on," she said, now standing behind Merlin and lovingly squeezing Merlin's scrawny shoulders. Merlin looked at her, frowning ever so slightly as he nodded; he always hated leaving her. “Are you sure, mum?” he asked, looking at her with slight concern. “Yes, dear, I’m certain, I’ll be fine”, Hunith assured him and gently caressed Merlin’s cheek, smiling at him. "How about we ride out at dusk tomorrow? That way, you can spend the rest of today with your mother," Arthur suggested. He didn’t want to see Merlin upset, and he could also use a break from riding, so it seemed like a good compromise for both of them. Merlin smiled at the idea, happy with the compromise.
Merlin and Arthur went to gather firewood, replenishing Hunith's supply so she wouldn’t have to do it while she recovered from her illness. "A lot of people miss you back in Camelot," Arthur said, breaking the silence. "People? So you don't?" Merlin replied, a small smirk spreading across his lips. "Of course not! You're a terrible servant," Arthur huffed, chuckling as he began their usual banter. Merlin let out a cute little snort of a laugh. Arthur realized he had missed that, along with all of Merlin’s little sounds and facial expressions. “But I am better than that bootlicking replacement servant you had,” Merlin said confidently. “No, you’re just more exciting,” Arthur replied with a shrug, glancing at Merlin. Merlin smiled, looking rather proud. “I’m exciting?” he asked smugly. Arthur sighed and chuckled, ruffling Merlin’s hair. “Clotpole" was all Arthur said to that. Once their laughter died out, they walked back to Hunith’s house in comfortable silence. The warmth of their shared moment lingered in the air, making the familiar walk feel even more pleasant.
They hadn’t been back in the house for long when there was a knock at the door. They had just finished stacking the firewood. Merlin went to open it and found a young boy standing there, fidgeting with his hands and looking quite nervous. He noticed an older man nearby and assumed it was the boy’s father.
“Hello, how can I help you?” Merlin asked gently, turning his attention back to the boy. The boy audibly gulped and glanced down for a moment, kicking at the dirt beneath his feet. “Um… I heard King Arthur was here. Do you think I could ask him something?” the boy asked, looking up at Merlin with large, hopeful eyes.
Merlin had no intention of saying no, especially with those puppy dog eyes staring at him. “Of course you can! Let me get him,” he replied, smiling at the boy before going inside to find Arthur. “There’s a boy at the door asking for you. You'd better hear him out!” Merlin told Arthur sternly. Arthur smiled; only Merlin had the right to scold him like that. However, it wasn’t necessary; Arthur wouldn’t have said no anyway. He enjoyed interacting with the people of Camelot.
Arthur walked to the door and looked down at the boy, smiling. “Hello, little lad. Did you want to ask me a question?” he inquired. The boy nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yes, my lord. I, um, I want to be a knight one day. How do I do that?” The boy glanced at Arthur with wide, hopeful eyes, reminiscent of the puppy dog look he had used on Merlin. Arthur smiled and nodded. “I see. What’s your name?”. “Lionel Tein, sire,” he replied.
“Listen closely, Lionel,” Arthur said, his voice steady and filled with purpose. “You must dedicate yourself to training. Mastering the art of swordsmanship will serve you well on your journey to knighthood. When you turn eighteen, make your way to Camelot and seek me out. I will ensure that you are accepted into the knight training program, where you can develop your skills and honor.”
Arthur couldn't help but smile as he watched the young boy’s face light up, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you, sire! I’ll do my best! I won’t let you or Camelot down!” Lionel exclaimed before running over to his father to share the news.
Arthur watched them with a smile before heading back inside, feeling a warm sense of satisfaction from seeing the happiness on the boy’s face.
The day passed calmly from that point on, and soon enough, nighttime began to roll around. Merlin and Arthur lay next to each other on the floor. "This reminds me of the time we had to fight Cainen... it was so long ago," Arthur whispered into the dark. He didn’t want to wake Hunith, so he made sure to keep his voice down.
Merlin smiled at the memory, but his expression quickly faded as tears filled his eyes, bringing back thoughts of Will. Noticing the change in Merlin’s demeanor, Arthur blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness and glanced at Merlin. Once he could see the sad expression on Merlin’s face, he frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.
"Nothing, I just remembered Will..." Merlin replied, his voice barely above a whisper with a slight quiver to it.
Arthur went quiet for a moment, remembering Will, and he felt a stab of guilt in his stomach. He hadn’t been very kind to Will back then, and he never got the chance to apologize. However, he quickly pushed aside his own pain when he heard Merlin sniffle.
"I’m sorry, Merlin... he was a brave man," Arthur said, trying to comfort him. He reached over and gave Merlin's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Merlin turned to Arthur, offering him a small, appreciative smile. In that moment, Arthur wished for nothing more than to ease Merlin's pain.
Hesitantly, he moved closer to Merlin and gently wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight, comforting him silently and lulling him back to sleep. Not long after, Arthur also fell asleep, despite the hard floor beneath him; he felt at ease with Merlin in his arms.
When Arthur woke before Merlin, he carefully untangled himself, creating some distance between them. He had enjoyed sleeping like that – perhaps a little too much. It was definitely one of the best sleeps he had experienced, but he couldn’t let Merlin find out. Arthur feared it would ruin their friendship.