A/N: This short story kept me up one night when my brain decided it didn't need sleep but more Merlin and Arthur bromance to keep it happy. As an itch that needed to be scratched this practically wrote itself discounting the hours spent trying to make sense of my terrible bedside handwriting. So hopefully, some of you will enjoy it.

In all fairness I feel obliged to warn you that the format and setting are a bit different than my usual stuff. It's not beta'ed so all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: While there isn't a lot of dialogue I used some fragments of dialogue from episode 4x06, 4x12 and 5x13, probably others as well and there are a lot of hints to various episodes and characters. I own none of it.

When Arthur Met Merlin

When Arthur met Merlin they were not even six years old. Their teacher in Year One, at the local yet posh primary school, had been delighted with the coincidence of having both an 'Arthur' and a 'Merlin' in her class. Naturally when the time came to make a seating arrangement for the start of the new schoolyear she put both boys together with scholarly amusement.

On the first day Arthur spend the whole lesson trying to pay attention to what his teacher was saying while simultaneously studying the other boy's ears out the corner of his eye. He was as subtle as any other not-yet-six-year-old. After they were led out to play during the break, Arthur pulled one of those ears out of fascination and called Merlin an idiot. Merlin kicked his shin in reply and told him he was a prat.

When both Hunith and Uther learned of the incident they both told their sons to be nice. So on the second day when Merlin tripped over his own feet and scraped his knee pretty badly, Arthur didn't laugh like some of the other children. Instead he helped Merlin back up and half-carried, half-walked the dark-haired boy to their teacher. Later when they were both admiring the dinosaur plaster, Merlin shared his custard cream biscuits with Arthur while they made plans on how to get Arthur one of those plaster as well.

By the third day they were inseparable.

…

When Arthur knew Merlin for less than week he was invited to the other boy's home. Going there turned out to be a blessing for his childhood. With Arthur's father being well-meaning but distant ever since his wife died, Hunith's house became a second home for Arthur. And after so many sleepovers Merlin just kept the second matrass in his room, no longer bothering to haul it in every time.

The Emrys household was a strange one. First of all there were no servants. Also Merlin didn't have a dad. He wasn't dead like Arthur's mum, but that was all he knew. Merlin did have an eccentric uncle though. It didn't surprise Arthur to learn that the house was actually Gaius', the weird construction suited him perfectly.

With no servants and Merlin's mum working two jobs sometimes, the boys had a lot of time to explore. There was an enormous garden for instance with an actual forest in the back. It seemingly grew smaller every year but Arthur fondly remembered getting lost more than once.

Gaius was a home-grown self-educated pharmacist which meant that he had a lot of friends from back in the sixties and seventies who still came to him for his organic concoctions. He also worked in the local apothecary but those hours declined every year as well.

...

When Arthur met Valiant he didn't think about the fact that the boy was both bigger and older than him. Merlin and he were now twelve years old and to enter Year Seven they had to change schools. It was a bit further away and a lot bigger than their previous one. By then Arthur was almost a foot taller than his skinny friend, but only he was allowed to tease Merlin about that.

Valiant expected Merlin to be an easy target. The boy at least looked like an easy target. But when he confronted the dark-haired boy he hadn't expected the younger kid to fight back. Usually his targets were too scared. He was still stronger though so after some well-aimed punches he had the kid whimpering on the ground. He hadn't expected Arthur.

The fight that followed when Arthur saw Merlin on his knees was a quick one. Especially when Merlin proved he wasn't letting some bruises stop him. So it was with some trepidation that both boys sat in those uncomfortable hard chairs outside the principal's office each holding an icepack to their right eye.

The principal was a very old, very imposing and stern man who had a nickname that was only whispered outside of the school. So when Arthur and Merlin were ushered inside his office to face 'The Great Dragon' they did so with shaky knees. The man took one good look at them and instead of breathing fire sighed deeply.

They didn't get a detention, unlike Valiant who they later found out got numerous ones, but the principal did lecture them about staying out of trouble. Before they were allowed to leave however the man sighed again in an annoying all-knowing sort of way some adults sigh and then told them that when, not if, they got in trouble they should stick together.

…

When Merlin and Arthur were fifteen they discovered a certain weed in the vast garden around Merlin's house, hidden between two green-houses. They decided to smoke it. It was a strange experience and years later Arthur was still dead certain that a sword had been involved. They did it two more times before Hunith caught them as she stumbled upon a bizarre conversation where Arthur was trying to convince Merlin that his eyes were definitely glowing gold.

Hunith felt she had no choice but to inform Arthur's father and Gaius destroyed those plants immediately but the damage was already done. Uther, panicked and fearing where this would lead, banned Arthur from seeing Merlin going so far as to threaten to send his son abroad if he so much as spoke to his friend. It was a strange unnatural situation and even the school didn't know what to do in the following months.

Arthur, already quite popular for both his looks and soccer skills made friends easily but Merlin withdrew further and further into his own pale and skinny shell whenever he was at school. His attendance became less and less every month though. Sometimes a week passed without Arthur seeing so much as a glimpse of Merlin.

...

When Arthur turned sixteen his birthday was a miserable affair and he spent the entire party in the past reliving those birthdays where Merlin stood by his side. As he blew out the candles on top of his cake the action lacked conviction and he rarely smiled nowadays. Uther meanwhile tried to convince himself that it had been a good decision to separate the boys. His arguments grew weaker every time he thought about it.

In December Merlin collapsed at school and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with blaring sirens. Arthur was willing to beg his father to let him go there, willing to promise everything just to visit his friend once. He had prepared numerous scenario's in his head with running away from home on top of his list if his father didn't listen. So when Uther unexpectedly picked him up earlier from school and drove him straight to the hospital without protest, Arthur was speechless.

…

When Merlin met Freya, Arthur instantly disliked her. It had nothing to do with the girl. Freya was sweet and fragile and she managed to make Merlin smile even when he threw up his dinner after the long chemo's. He disliked her because of how they met: in the same hall of the hospital. Sometimes when he dropped by after school Merlin was too tired to see him. He was never too tired to see Freya and for that Arthur disliked her even more.

He didn't hate her though. He only hated one word: leukaemia and how it was slowly killing his best friend. But Merlin liked her very much and she made him smile so Arthur hid that part of himself, the part that he was actually ashamed off. It wasn't a rational way of thinking but he knew that both Merlin and Freya had a 50/50 chance of surviving like some sort of morbid coin toss.

So truth to be told he didn't even dislike her. He just hoped that between Merlin and Freya it would be Merlin who won the toss. When it became clear that only a bone marrow transplant would cure his friend, Arthur immediately signed up to be tested. He was the only one who wasn't surprised that he was a perfect match. And when Freya died shortly after learning the news, failing to find a suitable donor in time, Arthur could honestly say that he never felt both so relieved and guilty at the same time.

…

When Merlin met Sophia, Vivian, Elena and several other of Arthur's girlfriends he tried to remember their names at first. But when Arthur told him about one escapade after the other his interest in Arthur's social life declined. They were all the same anyway; beautiful and shallow already picturing themselves as the future Mrs Pendragon and basking in all the wealth that came with it.

His friend was away now, to London of all places, studying economics or that was what he should be doing. Merlin had a feeling that Arthur used his newfound independence to party a lot and play Russian roulette with several STD's. Meanwhile Merlin was stuck at home still studying for his A-levels as the prolonged stay in the hospital had put a halt to that.

…

When they were nineteen Arthur drove Merlin to London eyeing his friend much more subtly than the first time he did as a six year old. Merlin had grown into his ears and they were almost the same height now both claiming to be taller than the other one. Everyone else steered clear of that discussion.

If Merlin noticed Arthur's interest he didn't show it. He was staring out of the window lost in thought not even seeing the landscape because of the heavy rain. Arthur didn't talk because he felt no need to kick-start another fight. They were supposed to be roommates this year. Arthur had rented a large two bedroom apartment on a stone's throw away from campus.

It seemed like a good idea at the time and it was his way of showing Merlin how happy he was that his friend had decided to study in London as well. Their courses were completely different though. It was expected of Arthur that he would follow in his father's footsteps, hence economics, a decision he both loathed and treasured at times.

Merlin wanted to become a paramedic. It was something that he had wanted to do even when it looked like the leukaemia would win. The thing was, he was much more serious about his studies than Arthur and when Arthur made plans to take him out to his favourite clubs Merlin simply said no.

And when Arthur insisted, rather vehemently to be honest because his friend needed to have some fun, Merlin actually yelled at him to bugger off and stop planning out his life. He didn't use his usual insults like clotpole or dollop-head in his rant which meant that Merlin was utterly serious for a change.

It ended when Merlin told him that though he owed Arthur his life it was his to live and not Arthur's. So Arthur drove on in silence and he wasn't sure what would happen when they reached London. As the heavy rain went over in a storm Arthur decided to stop thinking about it and focused on the road. It was his job to get them to the city safely.

…

When they were nineteen Merlin saved Arthur's life in return. They were driving to London in mutual stubborn silence after a rather bad shouting match. Merlin actually felt ashamed, knowing very well that Arthur never meant anything by planning to drag him to some parties other than to have some fun and introduce Merlin to the things he missed out on last year.

The fact that Arthur was arrogant and overbearing sometimes was just part of their friendship. Just like Merlin's tendency to bottle everything up and his incapability to ask for help until the weight of the world seemed to pull him down was part of it as well. Merlin needed Arthur to be overbearing, just like Arthur needed Merlin to insult him every now and then to stop his ego from growing out of control.

As they drove over a bridge the car behind them suddenly went aquaplaning and hit them at an alarming speed. Arthur cursed, tried to keep his steering wheel straight but it was no use. Their car spun out of control, crossing lanes and ended up hitting the bridge rail on the other side hard. For less than a second Merlin thought the iron fence would hold them before they plunged into the deep. Merlin would never forget the look on Arthur's face as they fell.

They hit the water even harder. By some miracle Merlin remained conscious and completely calm. Later he would attribute his weird clear-headedness to the fact that he had read quite some cases about emergency situations already. The truth was that he was awake while Arthur wasn't and that the car was rapidly filling up with ice-cold water. He basically had no choice.

When he broke through the water's surface mere minutes later his lungs felt like collapsing and so did his arms and legs. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep but instead he cursed Arthur's muscled built as he dredged him to the shore spluttering water every time he went under himself. Only when Merlin felt soft mud beneath him and saw vague, shadowy figures running towards them did he close his eyes. Arthur would be safe.

…

When Arthur met Gwen it was the first day of his last year at the university. In that moment he instantly knew that he wanted to marry her. She was genuine and real and was a couple of years younger than him only just starting her academic career as a future journalist. Naturally she was flattered by all the attention.

The fact that she got along with Merlin was a huge plus as Arthur and Gwen practically ended up living together in the two bedroom apartment he shared with his best friend. In the previous years both Arthur and Merlin had learned the art of being selectively blind and deaf, a skill Merlin learned just slightly after knocking before entering.

Arthur proposed after graduating and a month after turning twenty-five he declared himself to be the happiest man alive. He had a demanding but rewarding job at his father's company, showing his colleagues that he brought more to the company than just his name and was hours away from being married.

Merlin of course gave the most sincere and ridiculous speech ever in the history of best man speeches, a feat that only Merlin could pull off. Life was good.

…

When Merlin both met and lost his estranged father in less than a week, Arthur was there to help sort out his feelings of loss and rage. His friend took him to one of his families estates up North. It was a ruin of a place without a roof and ivy growing everywhere. Arthur pitched their tent and built a campfire in the middle of the old living room while Merlin tore down the walls of what once were the stables.

When exhaustion and sorrow for what could have been eventually replaced the anger Arthur steered Merlin back in, fed him some roasted meat and poured them both glass after glass of the best whiskey he could nick from his father's liquor cabinet. They ended up staying there two nights and when Arthur drove them back to London Merlin could honestly say that he felt better.

…

When Arthur's father unexpectedly died of an aneurysm Merlin was there the whole time; steadfast during his friend's vigilance and grief. He was there when Arthur followed in his father's footsteps to lead one of Britain's most successful companies, a role he always dreaded but when finally there, was clearly born for it. Arthur handled leadership with the grace and fortitude of a bygone era.

…

When Arthur met Morgana, Merlin went along for the ride and waited nervously in the car as Arthur saw the half-sister he didn't know he had for the first time. Her existence came to light in Uther's will, a revelation that led Merlin to drive them up North this time. There were enough free-standing buildings there.

For a fortnight Arthur held hope that this would be the beginning of some sort of sibling relationship. He even pictured how the next Christmas would be. Morgana however was coldly polite and only opted to meet him in person to decline the substantial inheritance and insist that Arthur would never contact her again.

During the car ride back, where Merlin drove after persuading Arthur that he was in no state to drive, Arthur didn't say a word. He just hugged his arms close to him and stared out of the window. A couple of days later he told Merlin that it was probably for the best. He already had one crazy sibling relationship leaving him without the energy to deal with another.

It was said in jest, but Merlin couldn't help but grin for weeks to come.

…

When Arthur introduced Gwen to Lance on a charity event he was holding for Lance's non-governmental organization, he knew immediately that he made a mistake. Lance had been a teacher, was still a journalist from time to time and more importantly had a vision to stop human trafficking and slavery in this time and age. His noble heart and good looks swept Gwen away.

Arthur knew he had lost her the minute he saw that look on her face. Her joyful and earnest expression as she listened to Lance's description of the NGO was the same she'd wore when they had started dating. It was a look that Arthur had missed ever since their son was born, now two years earlier.

It had been an unexpected but certainly not an unwelcome development for Arthur, though he knew Gwen would have wanted to wait a few more years. They discussed different names for their son finally compromising on Rhys. Initially Gwen had wanted to name their unborn child after her brother who died during a overseas mission.

While Arthur liked the name Elyan he felt it was a painful tradition to name one's child after a lost loved one. He hadn't realised it until then that that was the moment he had begun losing her. Six months later their divorce was finalised and Arthur gained full custody of their son. He didn't even have to fight her for it.

Personal feelings aside he remained a big donor for that NGO believing in the world they envisioned. Merlin was extra nice to him after he had shared that decision with his friend, so Arthur knew that he made the right choice.

…

When Rhys was four he declared with all the seriousness a child of that age can muster that he wanted to be like Uncle Merlin when he grew up. Merlin of course was very smug about it. Arthur blamed it on the fact that Merlin worked as a paramedic and drove around in an ambulance all day. In the weeks following that declaration Arthur seriously considered purchasing a siren for his own car.

…

When Agravaine, Arthur's uncle and chairman of the supervisory board of Pendragon Ltd., tried to dethrone Arthur as CEO and replace him for one of his own men, Merlin was there to shoulder the blow. In the end Arthur prevailed with a minimal financial loss which was a miracle considering more than 100,000 employees, a lot of influential shareholders and several governments worldwide had followed the struggle with bated breath.

After leaving Rhys with his honorary grandparents, found in Hunith and an aging Gaius, Merlin drove Arthur North again. It was raining when they arrived and as Merlin struggled to pitch the tent Arthur went for a long walk. It was almost dark when he got back to the derelict living room soaking wet and as numb on the outside as he felt on the inside.

Merlin handed Arthur a steaming mug of hot toddy promising cold whiskey once he was warmed up. Arthur drank it in silence while Merlin patiently waited.

"There's something wrong with me. People keep leaving me, betraying me, hating me. What have I done wrong?" Arthur whispered about an hour later. Merlin sighed and refilled Arthur's mug. "If only I had been a better leader, a better husband, a better son…"

"Arthur, your father was extremely proud of you. He had every faith in you. You know that." Merlin waited to let his words sink in before addressing the next issue.

"Morgana, she's just still angry at Uther's ghost. You know this. That had nothing to do with you. Gwen," Merlin sighed again, "Gwen needed to follow her own path. She desired other things that you couldn't offer but that was nobody's fault. These things happen to thousands of people every day. See, you're nothing special." He joked giving himself a mental pat on the back when Arthur almost smiled.

"And Agravaine, well he's just a right bastard," Merlin nearly growled next, "A miserable money hungry wolf without scruples. You won. That should tell you enough about your leadership skills, but if you want to fish for compliments…" Arthur motioned Merlin to go on.

"I would have to admit that for all your many faults you are honest and brave and truehearted. I know one day that you'll lead the world's most fairest and innovative company for everyone's betterment and not just for those on your payroll."

Arthur ducked his head and stared at the fire finally feeling some warmth returning. He looked back up at Merlin and said, "Well, good to know I have the support of my best friend at least."

"I'm not alone, believe me." Merlin said with utter conviction. He added with a smile, "Besides, Rhys doesn't care about all of that. He just wants you to show him how to make paper planes and have enough dinosaur plasters in supply."

"It may come as a surprise to you, Merlin, but being a dad entails a bit more than that."

"I know," Merlin grinned, "from watching you."

…

When Arthur met Mordred he didn't even know the kid's name. He just saw a young junkie with shaky hands pointing a gun at him in the shade of an abandoned car park.

The evening had started promising actually. Rhys had his first recital ever. He looked so small behind the piano but Arthur couldn't detect a trace of nervousness at the start. Rhys did miss some notes but Merlin was in awe and insisted to take out the next great composer after Mozart for a celebratory drink.

Arthur tagged along amused when Merlin bought his son and himself a hot chocolate (leaving Arthur to fend for himself, the nerve!). The dark-haired man listened with rapt interest how his earlier comment about composers was actually very wrong since there were a lot of brilliant composers who came after Mozart. Arthur loved seeing his son bask in the attention.

As Rhys rambled on about one obscure composer after the other, Arthur wondered if Merlin and his son weren't related somehow. They both had the tendency to ramble on about the things they were passionate about. Merlin did look lost though and Arthur himself had a hard time following everything his son said. Musical prodigy indeed.

When Rhys fell asleep where he sat after his second hot chocolate Arthur deemed they had enough drinks for the evening. It was almost eleven o'clock and while it was a Friday Arthur wanted to get up early tomorrow. Well, wanted was a big word. Rhys would wake him up anyway. Even for a seven-year-old his son was energetic. And that was an understatement.

Sometimes that bundle of endless energy drove Arthur mad and Merlin proved to be a lifesaver once more when he took Rhys ice-skating or exploring the garden as pirates. Once Rhys came back from one of his mini-adventures with his wrist in a red cast and a very apologetic Merlin trailing behind him. It was very hard to stay angry at Merlin when Rhys was so happy with his cast. One of Merlin's colleagues had drawn a lifelike dragon on it.

Another time they actually found a treasure chest near the giant pine at the house. Arthur denied any knowledge of it, claiming that he had been on the phone with a client in Peru the whole time but Merlin eyed his dirty nails suspiciously nevertheless. The fact that his son and best friend got along so well was easily explained by Arthur: Merlin had the mind of a child.

As they exited the restaurant Merlin insisted on walking Arthur to his car. But Arthur told his friend to go home and try to sleep as his shift would start in just a couple of hours. Merlin was easily persuaded since Arthur was right. Arriving at his car though, Arthur did regret sending Merlin away. Juggling keys, Rhys' rucksack and Rhys himself was a logistical puzzle but he had managed harder ones.

When he laid Rhys down on the rear seats, the boy didn't wake up. Once he slept not even an explosion could wake his son up which was fortunate because whenever they visited Hunith and Gaius they ended up sleeping there. Gaius' snores were loud enough to wake up the dead.

So when Arthur was about to get behind the wheel and Mordred stopped him, he gave up his cell phone and wallet without hesitation. But when the junkie ordered Arthur to give him the car keys next, he blatantly refused arguing and pleading that his son was sleeping in the back and that he would gladly give his keys once he got Rhys out.

Mordred didn't understand any of it. A second before he heard the shot, Arthur saw it in Mordred's eyes. So he expected the ear shattering noise. He didn't expect Merlin appearing out of nowhere and stepping between them.

The impact made his gangly friend stagger back and Arthur was just in time to catch Merlin before they hit the ground. Mordred was gone by then, ran away as soon as he saw the blood. There was a lot of it, too much and Arthur found himself half-sitting, half-lying on the tarmac with Merlin on his lap franticly patting Merlin's chest down to find where the bullet hit.

"Merlin, what were you thinking?" He questioned sounding angry as he pressed his hand down so hard he could to stem the bloodflow. It felt hopeless though, Merlin's only fancy dressshirt he owned was already soaking wet.

"Rhys forgot his sweater." His friend mumbled, "Though he might be cold. It's cold, Arthur."

"I've seen worse, definitely seen worse." Arthur said but it lacked conviction.

"On a dead man." Merlin stated.

"You're not going to die, Merlin. Don't be such a coward." He tried to scoff but his voice trembled on the insult.

"If I do die will you call me a hero?" His friend asked earnestly.

Arthur wanted nothing more than to continue their utterly misplaced banter but Merlin turned even a shade paler and his eyes fluttered close.

"Merlin, Merlin!" Arthur insisted, "Come on, stay with me."

Merlin opened his eyes again, "There's something I want to say…" It became harder and harder to hear what he was saying. The shallow breaths only allowed a wheezy whisper.

"You're not going to say goodbye." Don't you dare Merlin, Arthur thought. He would lose any pretence of calm he had left if Merlin started to say goodbye.

"No…," Merlin said closing his eyes briefly before looking up at Arthur again, "Not goodbye. I remember, Arthur."

"Remember what? Merlin, stay awake, you need to stay awake." His voice grew more frantic as he gently tapped Merlin's cheek to keep him aware and asked again, "What do you remember?" In the distance Arthur heard the sound of sirens and he was vaguely aware that there were people standing around them.

"Everything." Merlin said his eyes growing marginally larger for a second. Arthur fooled himself to believe that he saw a golden shine in them but then his friend blinked, each time struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Is better this time, was faster…" He mumbled next and coughed up blood.

"What's better?" Arthur asked pleading, "Merlin, you're not making any sense."

"Never did." Merlin told him and attempted to smile reassuringly or that's at least what Arthur suspected he was doing when Merlin patted his blood soaked hand next and whispered, "It's okay, Arthur, you'll understand."

But Arthur didn't understand and it definitely wasn't okay.

…

It was not okay when the ambulance finally arrived and Merlin's friends and co-workers, Gwaine and Percival, got out of the vehicle. With one glance all their professional pretence was gone.

…

It was not okay when he stoically held Hunith as she silently cried during the whole funeral. It was a beautiful one and Arthur was not surprised by the amount of people that came to give their condolences. He spotted Gwen and Lance in the back; glad they came but equally glad that they didn't come to greet him.

…

It was not okay when Mordred was eventually arrested and sentenced. Nor did the young man's apology do anything to ease Arthur's loss. And Morgana's testimony at the trial that her son was a good kid at heart who made terrible choices actually made it worse.

…

It was not okay when in the long months after Merlin's death he still ran to Rhys' bedroom to comfort his son after yet another scary dream. Explosions never woke Rhys up but sirens always did the trick. Rhys had lost a lot of his innocence that night. Afterwards when his boy slept fitfully again, Arthur returned to bed to face his own nightmares.

…

It was not okay when Hunith asked him a year later to help her set up a project to keep young and vulnerable teens off the streets and off drugs. Arthur was humbled by her compassion and with his funds and Hunith's strength the project grew and expanded over the years ending up winning the National CSR Award for the Best Individual Community Project.

The next year Arthur won the Outstanding Individual Corporate Leadership Award. Pendragon Ltd. had become a pioneer in corporate charity and development taking the whole idea to the next level and actually making the world better for everyone. When he closed his eyes Arthur could pretend that Merlin was standing next to him when he received it.

…

It was not okay when Gaius passed away quietly in his sleep. It was a peaceful way to go for someone with such a colourful past but he was never the same after Merlin's death growing more solemn with age. Unlike Hunith Gaius never bothered to even pretend to move on. He'd been an old man when Arthur first met him and only Rhys managed to make Gaius smile again. Arthur knew it was because the man was remembering a younger Merlin.

…

It was not okay when at the age of sixteen Britain's most promising musical prodigy dedicated his first symphony to his Uncle. Rhys had named it 'Merlin's Flight'. Arthur didn't even pretend to sit through his son's concert dry-eyed.

…

Life went on despite Arthur's most vehement protests. The ache never left though and Arthur told himself that it was because Gwen was still alive somewhere that not having her in his life hurt less than living without Merlin. He went up North a couple of times every year eventually bringing Rhys with him when the urge to get drunk there got washed away after numerous rain showers. By then only the walls of the living room remained standing.

When Hunith died after outliving her son for fifteen more years, Arthur felt like he lost another parent. The years following her death passed swiftly. Arthur managed his company to the best of his abilities but after a while the work began to feel like a routine. His passion was slowly waning and he handed over more and more responsibilities to his young and loyal protégé. He had no doubt that Leon was more than qualified to continue the company's visionary goals.

Throughout his life Arthur kept going to almost every one of Rhys' concerts even planning board meetings around those times. It was a dedication that his son had shrugged off in his teenage years, but now, being a father himself Rhys felt awed by it. He hoped that when his little girl grew up he would remain as supportive of her choices as his father had been of his.

…

It was at the start of one of these concerts that Arthur suddenly felt that familiar ache in his chest intensify. It didn't go away as the notes flooded off the stage. The music remembered Arthur of those times he and Merlin went camping between the woods and the ruins. He felt the same tranquillity now. The ache became increasingly worse as a thunderous applause resounded in the Royal Albert Hall and Arthur remained seated when the audience gave Rhys a standing ovation.

When his son sat back down behind his piano to give them a unrehearsed reprise, Arthur closed his eyes and let the music of 'Merlin's Flight' carry him away. He finally understood.

…

"Not that I'm not glad, but it sure took you long enough, you prat."

"Already complaining, Merlin? I've put you in the stocks for less than that."

"Please, that threat has lost its power centuries ago."