This is not a full story, but rather the beginning of a series of one-shots so please don't ask for more than that. They shall be put up when I write them and when I have time around my other stories. Other than that, please enjoy and leave a review. They help inspire me to write.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin as much as I would wish to. BBC do.
Arthur would always remember his sixth birthday. It was the day that he met him. His father had taken him to the research laboratory to show him what it was that he would one day be taking over and what would be required of him one day. Arthur had been proud that his father had thought him old enough to go, that he was finally acknowledging that Arthur was a big boy now and didn't need to be treated like a child.
Except the laboratory was nothing like Arthur had been expecting.
He had thought the place would be like Frankenstein's laboratory from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Gaius had read it to him every night whenever he was sick and the old man clearly enjoyed Arthur's interest in it. Arthur had imagined the laboratory would be full of desks covered in scribbled, complicated notes, lots of mathematic formula all over boards and colourful liquids bubbling in jars over Bunsen burners. The only thing that was correct about this image was the complicated maths formulas. The rest was almost horrifying.
The laboratory was not done up in dark woods but was actually a stark white with a shiny linoleum floor, not dissimilar to the ones found in the swimming pool changing rooms where Arthur was taught to swim (by the best instructors of course). The desks were covered in typed notes and a few people were actually sat at them typing away on laptops, completely immersed in what they were doing. On other desks were jars filled with dissected pieces but Arthur didn't look at them too long because one look at the dismembered frog had his stomach rolling. His eyes roamed around the room, trying to find an image that wasn't quite so terrifying and ended up staring into a similarly frightened pair of eyes. Startled, Arthur jumped backwards before seeing that the eyes belonged to a boy perhaps a couple of years younger than him and who was sitting on a bed behind a glass partition. There was a man in a long white coat snapping instructions at him but the boy was shaking his head vehemently, obviously terrified of what was going to happen. Arthur raced forwards and grabbed his father's sleeve, tugging it a little to show he wanted the attention. Uther broke off his conversation with another man in a white coat and frowned down at his son.
"What is it Arthur?" he snapped, unhappy that he had been interrupted. Arthur took no notice of that and pointed to the little boy (because anyone younger than Arthur was little).
"What are they doing to him?" Arthur demanded. He had never been a very subtle child. The man Arthur had been talking to glanced towards the glass partition and shrugged.
"Patient 566. He's due for primary examination tomorrow but is being… difficult to prepare." Arthur didn't like the way the man spoke about the boy as if he were just some dumb animal that wouldn't do as it was told. Besides, this was a research laboratory not a torture chamber. Arthur was sure that there was some mistake.
"But why is he here? Father said that this is where you help find cures for sick people," Arthur stated, proud that he had remembered something Geoffrey had told him. Usually, he never retained anything since he would be put into a stupor after about five seconds of listening to the man's droning voice.
"We do help the terminally ill Arthur. You see there are some people in the world who are special, but use their gifts selfishly for themselves. Here, we persuade them to let us use their talents for the good of mankind," Uther explained calmly. Arthur thought on that a moment, waiting for his father to carry on. "We examine them closely and… advise them on how to make the best of their abilities." There seemed to be something off with the way his father said that, as if he didn't actually believe the words he was saying. Was his father lying to him? But Gaius said that lying was wrong. In fact, the old man had once smacked Arthur's bottom for lying to him about climbing up that high tree in the garden. Arthur had thought that the wind picking him up was a believable excuse. After all, Harry Potter had done it once but Gaius had still found him out.
"But that boy's only little. Can't you wait until he's older? Uncle Gaius said that if you give strong medicine to little children it makes them sick," Arthur asked, thinking that that was reasonable. After all, Gaius had made Arthur swear never to touch his medicine bag lest he make himself worse. The man's eyebrows shot up and Uther's scowl deepened.
"You are too young to understand all of this right now Arthur. You will see better in a few years' time." Arthur wrinkled his nose at that. 'A few years' was an eternity to him.
"Can I talk to him then? Tell him everything is ok?" Arthur gave his father the big puppy dog eyes that usually worked and Uther's face softened. He opened his mouth and Arthur was sure he was still going to say no when the man he had been talking to laid a hand on his shoulder.
"It is alright Uther. The patient isn't that skilled at the moment. Your son will be perfectly safe and he might even start to listen once someone his own age has reassured him everything is fine." Arthur didn't like the man but didn't say anything. After all he was helping Arthur get his own way and he wasn't going to say no to that.
"Fine. You have half an hour Arthur and no more." He had that tone of voice where Arthur knew no arguments would win, not even the puppy dog stare. Arthur nodded and rushed towards the glass door that would allow him entry to where the boy was. The scientist who had been struggling to get the boy to lie down frowned at him but walked off when he saw Uther's gesture. Arthur took no notice of him and jumped, scrambling to get onto the high bed. The boy just sat there, covers pulled to under his chin as if they could protect him from the little terror now in front of him.
"Hello," Arthur said politely, just as he had been taught. "I'm Arthur Pendragon." He stuck his hand out for the younger boy to shake but he was already quivering like a leaf. Arthur now had enough time to take him in and could see why his father had called him special. At first glance the boy was pretty ordinary looking. He was small, pale, with a shock of midnight black hair across his head that was just long enough to cover his large ears which stuck out at a ridiculous angle. But then your gaze would travel to his eyes to find them a pure burning gold. The tips of his ears looked slightly pointed as well which led Arthur to his next question. "Are you an elf?" The boy stared at him, eyes wide. Then he slowly shook his head. "But you have pointy ears!" Arthur stated, pointing at them. The boy's hands instantly shot up to cover them and Arthur pouted. "Don't do that. They're cool. I wish I had pointy ears." The hands slowly descended and the boy looked at him with something like curiosity through the fear. "What's your name?" Arthur decided that now was as good a time as any.
The boy opened his mouth- revealing a pair of canines that were just a little too sharp- but all that left it was a faint croaking snarl, something like Arthur imagined a baby dragon would speak. The boy clutched at his throat, frowning slightly, tried again with much the same result. Frustrated, the boy then began to write in the air. To Arthur's surprise golden dust appeared where the boy's hand moved, spelling out a word.
"Merlin," Arthur said slowly, watching, enchanted, at the glowing word. The boy- Merlin- nodded his head vigorously, a tiny smile on his mouth. Arthur decided he liked this boy and gave him a smile of his own. "Will you be my friend Merlin? I can ask my father to come and visit. Maybe he'll even let you come to our house!" Arthur didn't consider that perhaps his father might not like that but the boy clearly did as he shook his head so hard that Arthur was sure he must have hurt himself. He then made movements with his hands, pointing first at his father, then at himself and then shaking his head. Arthur thought this through a moment. "My father doesn't like you?" he asked and Merlin nodded. Arthur frowned, wondering why that was. His father only disliked people who were different but here he let them use their differences to help… but Merlin didn't look as if he liked it here. In fact, he couldn't even speak but that might just be because he was different. "Well… I'll make him like you." Merlin cocked his head, obviously not believing what he had said. His eyes then fixed on something behind Arthur and his eyes widened. The scientist was back, a syringe full of some kind of cloudy liquid in his hand.
"Five minutes kid," he snapped; eyes cold. Arthur opened his mouth to protest but the man tapped his watch, glaring at him, so Arthur closed it again and nodded before turning back to Merlin. The other boy look petrified at what might happen.
"Merlin let the man look at you. I'll talk to father or even Gaius. He's a really nice doctor, not like the ones here. Father can get him to help you properly, and then you won't have to be scared no more. He wants you to help people, not hurt you I promise," Arthur said. One day he would realise that examination was the last thing on these people's mind, but in that moment he was six and he had no idea about what his father was truly doing. All he wanted was to help his new friend.
Gaius was rather surprised when Arthur called him that night. He had been resting at home after a busy day down at the private clinic he owned when the young boy had called him, wanting to know if he could come visit. Looking at the time, he knew it was far past Arthur's bedtime and stated down the phone that if the boy went to bed this instant he would visit at eight o'clock sharp the next morning. This had clearly pleased Arthur since he hung up with not even a goodbye and Gaius was left chuckling to himself, pondering the naivety of the young. Arthur's innocence was a blessing when visiting his old friend who was not as he had once been.
The next morning, the door was opened for him even before he had gotten out of the car. Arthur was waiting for him impatiently on the doorstep, careful not to go over without an adult lest the doorframe catch him on the way out (he really needed to get Uther to stop filling Arthur's head with nonsense but then again, the man told him to stop telling him lies. But fairy-tales and made up cautionary tales were hardly the same). Gaius sighed, locking his car and shuffling to the house, thinking he was too old for this. Perhaps he should take up Uther's offer of just moving in as the family doctor but then he wouldn't be able to help the majority rather than the minority (that being just Arthur).
"Gaius, I need to talk to you," the boy said, oblivious that Gaius had known this the night before. Why else would the boy have called in the middle of the night?
"What do you want to tell me?" Gaius asked gently, knowing a simple question like that would usually get Arthur to talk. The boy, true to form, opened his mouth and began to talk in the quick manner all young children did.
"Well, it was my birthday yesterday and Father showed me round his lab-bor-ra-tory," Arthur said, carefully saying his way around the long word. "And there was this little boy there called Merlin. He said he would be my friend but the people there are horrible to him so I wanted to know if you would take over and he could come live with us because I don't think he likes it there very much." Gaius hardly heard a word after 'Merlin', his breath caught in his throat. Could it be…? But Uther had said he was dead. That they had all been killed in the terrible accident, killing his niece and her family. Then again, it was not beyond Uther to lie to get his own way and he had wanted Balinor for years… Apparently he had settled for the son instead. Giving Arthur a smile, he nodded.
"I will speak to your father about this, right now in fact." He smiled a little wider at the grin that lit up Arthur's face. The boy needed more friends and by the sound of it, Merlin was in dire need of one too. He wondered whether or not Arthur should know, but decided that he was too young. The best he could do was let only a sliver of the truth through and hope things would go from there. "I'll let you in on a secret too," he whispered, leaning down to the boy's level. Arthur leaned in, curious as every child his age was. "Merlin is my nephew." Arthur's eyes widened.
"Why is he there then? Did you leave him there?" Arthur looked slightly astonished and a little upset. Gaius shook his head.
"I didn't know he was there. His mother and father are no longer with us and I had thought that he was too. He's a very special little boy and he will need a good friend if your father will let him into my care…" Which he must by law since I am his last blood relative. Gaius didn't finish that statement to Arthur though. Arthur seemed excited by the prospect of a new friend.
"I know he's special. He can't really speak so he wrote his name for me in the air! It was magic Gaius!" Arthur's eyes were bright and Gaius raised his eyebrows. Oh, Uther what have you done to rob that boy of his speech? Gaius thought. He had only met Merlin once as a toddler. He had been two, chewing on a wooden dragon that Balinor had made. When Gaius had uttered a concerned word about how it would affect his teeth Balinor had shook his head.
"It's good for his teeth, not bad. He's the strongest I've ever seen and his needs will get feral if we're not careful. Besides its Rowan wood. Helps him develop his magic too." Gaius shook the memory away, nodding as Arthur babbled about all the things he would do when Merlin arrived and how they would be the best of friends forever.
"Now, now, Arthur, you mustn't get too excited. Your father may still say no." There would be a catch somewhere; Uther would have made sure of it. In fact, Gaius knew that there almost certainly would be. Arthur's face fell slightly but he didn't look any less excited.
"He has to come stay with us. It's destiny," Arthur stated before turning and running off up the corridor. Gaius watched him go, baffled by what he had just said but shrugged it off. He would need his wits about him if he were going to get his little nephew out of this.
Uther was in his study, going through some form or the other about the company. He barely looked up when Gaius entered.
"Arthur tells me you went to the lab yesterday," Gaius said solemnly. Uther grunted, barely paying attention. "He said he made a new friend." This time Uther did look up.
"He talked to one of the patients. The boy is now co-operative if that is what you are worried about."
"And what would be this boy's name?" Gaius asked, one eyebrow raised. Uther looked decidedly uncomfortable now, shifting in his seat.
"It doesn't matter. He's a patient under Camelot Industries. His talents will help lots of people. Even his immune system is helping us make leaps and bounds in medical science."
"That being so, I still want a name. Arthur said his name was Merlin." There was a deafening silence in the room and the brief flash of guilt in Uther's eyes said it all to Gaius who scowled deeply. "It is my nephew isn't it?"
"Yes," Uther admitted. "It is."
"And yet for two years you told me he was dead. How is it that he is now miraculously alive?" Gaius spat, more angry than he had ever been. Uther blinked and gave a scowl of his own.
"Balinor was a willing patient before the accident. His son's care was granted to me before their death if ever anything should happen to them. I thought it best to let you grieve in peace rather than be bothered by a mere toddler all the time. Besides he would have distracted you from your work." Gaius' temper flared again and this time he wasn't going to just back down. This was an end to their now tenuous friendship.
"You had no right to Merlin! My work is not as important as my family, a trait I do believe you need to learn! What would have happened had it been the other way around? If I had hidden Arthur from you for two years?" Gaius was aware he was shouting, that Arthur could probably hear on the other side of the house but he didn't care. "What would Ygraine think if she could see what you have done since her death? Do you think she would have agreed to hiding a child from his true family?" Uther's face was thunderous at the mention of his wife and looked about to throw a fit when Gaius held up his hand, lowering his voice to a natural level but cold in tone. "If Merlin is not delivered to me, I will file a lawsuit against you and your company for kidnapping my nephew. This is beyond even your power to control Uther." Uther didn't look happy but sat back in his seat from where he had stood up the moment Ygraine's name had been mentioned.
"I cannot just simply release him Gaius, you know that. He is an asset to us. I can't just give him away." Uther held up his own hand to ward off Gaius' own protestations. "But I am willing to make you a deal." Gaius closed his mouth and carefully sat on the other side of the desk, wondering where this was going. "I will have the boy brought here, under my own protection, if you will contribute to the research the boy is giving us. As you have seen, Arthur has taken an interest in him." Of course, there would be a catch to Merlin's release, just as Gaius knew there would. And it came in the age old form as always. He sighed, knowing there was little he could do but decided to see how far Uther was willing to go to stop the lawsuit.
"What kind of protection will you give him?" Gaius asked shrewdly, knowing that 'my protection' could simply just mean 'bring him to the house and let the scientists continue on their merry way of ruining the child's life'. Uther paused, staring at Gaius carefully, as if to see how serious the man was. Seeing that Gaius would not be satisfied with a simple answer he sighed and looked at the desk.
"The greatest protection I can give him. I will take him in as one of my own and raise him as a son along with Arthur." Gaius raised an eyebrow, both in shock and scepticism. After all, he was hardly being raised as a son if he was still being experimented on, but Gaius knew that this wouldn't get any better than it was. Hoping he wasn't making a horrible decision, Gaius nodded.
"I will take you up on that. But Merlin must be here tomorrow when I bring my things." Uther nodded and Gaius left, only to be assaulted by a now very excited Arthur who had been eavesdropping for the last part of the conversation. Apparently the idea of having a younger brother was appealing to the boy and Gaius smiled knowing for certain that the pair would probably be inseparable.
Arthur couldn't sit still for the twenty minutes he had to wait in the car while his father got Merlin. He had declined the offer to go back into the place, not wanting to come into contact with the horrible work going on inside. The moment he had returned home two days ago he had quietly made a vow that when he was older he would investigate and then shut down whatever was going on inside that laboratory. Arthur knew, even at six, that his father owned more than just a medical research facility. Camelot Industries produced clothes, toys, technology, medicine and anything else you could think of. It had its own charity, raising money for third world countries, giving aid in the form of clean water and free medicines which the company produced as well as having their own café, restaurant and luxury clothing chains. His father was one of the most powerful and influential businessmen in the world and Arthur was proud that one day he would be able to take the reins and further develop the company (taking particular care to help everyone because he wanted to, not because the world demanded it).
The door to the laboratory opened and Arthur would have run out of the car to meet Merlin if his father hadn't made him promise not to leave the car. Leon smiled at Arthur's enthusiasm in the driver's seat, watching the small, skinny boy cross the lawns, clinging onto a wooden dragon as if it were a life preserver. The security man got out of the car and opened the door for his boss and grinned as the little boy's face lit up at the sight of Arthur who instantly tugged him into the seat next to him and began to babble about all the things they were going to do together and how he never had to go back to the laboratory again. Leon glanced at Uther Pendragon's face, noting the unhappy scowl.
"They seem fast friends already," Leon noted quietly, hoping that Uther was in an amiable enough mood not to sack him on the spot. Uther's mouth curled.
"I know." Leon didn't comment at the distaste that was obvious in that one statement.
"What is his name?" Leon asked, getting the feeling he would get to know the scrawny kid very very well in the next few years.
"Merlin. Merlin… Pendragon." Again, Leon didn't comment on the pause, on the sudden satisfaction as if to say 'I own him now'. Instead he closed the door after Uther slid into the car and wisely began to drive away.
Arthur didn't notice any of this, too happy that he finally had both a friend and a brother. Merlin might only be four (and very well educated for a four year old if he could write his own name already) but he was intriguing. He also seemed to have a sense of humour as Arthur whispered his plan on surprising Gaius, a little mischievous gleam in his eyes behind how uncomfortable he seemed sitting next to his father who had just gotten into the car. Merlin was still gripping the wooden dragon and Arthur decided to ask about it.
"Where did you get that?" he asked, reaching out but not quite touching it. Merlin seemed to sense that Arthur was fascinated by it and hesitantly held it out a little, the only sign that he would let Arthur touch it. Arthur, sensing that it was important, gently and reverently stroked it, noting the inscription on its underside. To our darling Merlin on your 2nd birthday, love Mummy and Daddy. He felt sad at that. Merlin was so little, he wouldn't remember his parents. Gaius would probably have pictures of them and Arthur decided to ask. Brother or not, Merlin should still be allowed to remember his birth parents. "I'm sorry," he said, quieter now. Merlin gave him a questioning look and Arthur pointed to the writing. "About your parents. My mummy's dead too." Merlin stroked the words lovingly and cuddled the dragon closer. Arthur supposed it was the only thing he had left of them.
They reached the house not too long after this and Arthur waited until his father was out of the car before helping Merlin with his seatbelt and leaping out of his own car-seat. He was surprised however, when a tiny hand suddenly found his and he turned to find Merlin shyly hiding behind the dragon, chewing on its ear a little, nervous. Arthur gave him a reassuring smile and tightened his grip on his new brother's hand.
"It's ok. I'll show you your new room and we can play hide and seek or tag or snakes and ladders! And then Gaius can read to us," he said, leading his brother up the driveway and into the house. Arthur had insisted that his brother's rooms be right next to his because then they could share if ever they wanted to. Gaius had readily agreed even if his father had been reluctant at first. He didn't want his son anywhere near the boy if he could help it but he had made a promise and he didn't want any nosy lawyers poking their nose in his business. He had built up Camelot Industries with the idea that people would only take it at face-value and not look very much deeper. He gave to charity, he paid his taxes and his worker's the minimum wage. He obeyed the law in all the right places. But in this matter, he preferred to be left alone, which meant that Gaius' threats to file a lawsuit were very real and very dangerous.
Arthur led Merlin through the large house and the further from Uther Pendragon they went, the more at ease Merlin became. By the time they came to his rooms, Merlin was practically skipping, gazing at everything in wonder and pointing at the paintings and statues excitedly. Arthur knew the feeling. It was like growing up in a medieval castle and was brilliant for playing knights, especially now he had another player.
"And this is your room!" Arthur said, throwing open the door. Merlin stood in the doorway and gaped, seemingly astonished at the size of everything. He looked very small in comparison to the furniture but the moment his eyes fixed on the pile of toys in the corner, he gave a cry of delight and dragged Arthur over, picking up various things and making a neat little pile. Then he pointed and gestured, showing that these were the ones he wanted to play with first.
And that was how Gaius found them, two hours later, playing with a pair of wooden horses, a stuffed dragon somehow enchanted to fly as the pair, giggling and laughing, attempted to 'slay' the beast. Gaius smiled as he watched them a while before Arthur noticed his presence, dropped the wooden horse on the floor with the Connect game, Snakes and Ladders, various stuffed animals and other toys. Merlin stopped as well, hanging back and reaching for the now discarded, yet never far away, wooden dragon, letting the stuffed one fall to the ground. Gaius recognised it as the very same dragon that Merlin had been chewing two years ago, a few months before the accident that had claimed his parents lives. Arthur wrapped his arms around Gaius' middle and then pulled him into the room.
"This is Merlin," Arthur said proudly. It was the happiest that Gaius had ever seen the boy, and probably soon to be the most worn out as well. Never before had Arthur been so content to just play for two hours. Gaius also noted a couple of children's books cast open on the floor and wondered whether Arthur had read to Merlin also. But for now he simply smiled at the now very shy little boy and extended a hand.
"Hello Merlin. My name is Gaius. I don't suppose you remember me, do you?" he said gently. Merlin stared at him before shaking his head slowly but not, thankfully, hesitantly. Uther had warned him that Merlin was skittish around anyone bar Arthur (that being rather obvious by the state of the room) and Gaius had worried that his nephew would be terrified of him. Something in the way he had expressed himself and perhaps even Arthur's warm welcome towards him had consoled the boy into knowing that Gaius would never willingly harm him. Slowly, very slowly, Merlin took the proffered hand and gave a small smile, which Gaius returned. "I visited you and your parents two years ago, before they passed away. Your mother was my niece." Merlin's head cocked to one side, considering this for a moment and then turned to Arthur, a question evident in his eyes. Gaius' heart broke at how he was unable to speak, a barrier that had not been an issue before. However, Arthur seemed to instantly know what Merlin wanted.
"Yes, he's your great-uncle. He's very nice like I told you." Gaius sat back a little, blinking. How had Arthur managed to both understand and answer Merlin with nothing more than a look to go on? The pair had only known each other for what would equate to an afternoon, if that. It had taken Arthur only three hours to begin to understand Merlin, at least forty five hours before he should have done. There was something going on here, something he had to get to the bottom of before Uther caught on.
Merlin turned to look at him again and suddenly, Gaius found himself with an armful of small boy as Merlin launched himself at him in a hug. Some instinct had warned him away from Uther and those same instincts seemed to be telling him to trust Gaius, something for which he was very grateful. It had taken a much shorter time to reassure the boy that he meant well than he had thought it would. Once detached from the hug, Merlin made some gestures, too fast for Gaius to follow but Arthur translated easily.
"He wants to know if you'll read to us. His mother used to read him stories all the time before bed." Gaius noted how Arthur's voice cracked slightly at the word 'mother', sad that Ygraine had died in childbirth but not wanting to mention that she had almost taken Arthur with her. Uther blamed his son, unconsciously or not, and so Arthur unconsciously blamed himself, leading to any mention of Ygraine or mothers in general a painful subject. Hopefully, Merlin could heal that scar, just as Arthur would hopefully help Merlin heal from his own. For now, however Gaius simply nodded.
"Of course. And tomorrow, I do believe we shall find someone to help with that voice of yours. Two years ago your parents were praying for you to be quiet, it shouldn't have to be silenced on another man's whims," Gaius said, cupping Merlin's face with a wrinkled hand. Merlin clutched at it for a moment before stepping away, nodding. Arthur smiled too and reached for his brother's hand. It seems I was right Gaius thought as the pair returned to their game. They are inseparable even now.