Hi! So, in this story, I use the same name for the young prince as in my other stories 'Of Princes and...' and the others, but this story has nothing to do with any of them, since Arthur is alive in this one. I hope it's not too confusing. If you have read any of my other stories and you think it's confusing, be sure to let me know, and I'll consider changing the name.

Also, this will be a collection of short stories about Arthur as a father, but they will be posted in no particular order.

AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!
Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. The errors in William's sentences are deliberate, however. Enjoy!

Arthur felt as if he had only been asleep for five minutes when he was awoken by an insistent tugging on the blanket behind him. He could feel Guinevere curled up against his chest, so it couldn't be her. He sighed. Of course, this would be the night William decided to wake up in the middle of the night. It had been a busy week with few hours of sleep, and the first night he could start catching up on his sleep, his son was awake. He cautiously rolled over, trying not to wake his wife, who needed sleep as much as he did. Four-year-old William was looking at him with big blue eyes from under his blond locks.

"Daddy, can I sleep with you?" Arthur sighed again, but helped his little boy get into the bed and under the blanket. Most nights, his son slept alone in his bedroom, a room connected to the rooms Arthur shared with his wife. But sometimes, William woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, and then he came to his parents. It had been almost a month since the last time it happened, so Arthur had been expecting something like this, he only wished it wouldn't have been tonight. But he would never turn his son away. He was determined to show his child how much he loved him and that he could always come to him if he had a problem.

Once the boy was snuggled close to him, Arthur whispered to him. "So, what made you wake up?" Understanding that his daddy wanted him to speak quietly, William lowered the volume of his voice. "I was thirsty, and when I wanted to take the cup from the bedside table, I see-ed a monster under my bed." Arthur played along and widened his eyes. "A monster under your bed? What did it look like?" William shivered. "Green, and hairy, and with five arms and three legs and a million eyes. And it wanted to take me, so I comed to your room, daddy, and it didn't follow 'cause it can only live under my bed."

Arthur smiled at his son's imagination. "Oooh, a hairy, green monster that lives under the bed. That's one of the worst kind of monsters. D'you need to borrow Excalibur to chase it away?" The little blond at his side giggled. "Silly daddy! I can't take Exclubber, it's taller than I am. But will you kill the monster, daddy, please?" The King kissed his son's head. "Of course I will. But I think I'll need uncle Merlin to help me."

William sat up and was ready to run out of the room. Arthur had expected this, so he grabbed the boy by the arm gently. "It can wait until tomorrow though, can't it? The monster won't get to you here. You can go wake up your uncle tomorrow morning really early. Agreed?" William thought about it before slumping back against Arthur. "Can I sleep in between you and mummy?" The King agreed and let the boy climb over him. When he was settled, Arthur kissed his head again, put his arm around the boy and spoke quietly. "Now, go to sleep. You're safe here. I promise." "'kay, daddy. Love you." The words came out mumbled already, and not even three minutes after, little William was asleep after hearing his father return the sentiment.

When Arthur was sure his son was asleep, he made himself comfortable. Before he could go back to his own dreams, however, Guinevere spoke. "That was slightly evil. What did poor Merlin do to deserve being woken up by our little monster here?" Arthur huffed. "It's nothing more than he deserves. He's the one who told William about monster in closets and under beds, so he can be the one to solve that problem. Did we wake you?" Gwen smiled and reached over William to put her hand on his cheek. "William woke me up when he asked if he could sleep with you. I don't mind, I love these little moments. I couldn't have chosen a better man to have children with, Arthur." The King smiled, turned his head slightly and kissed his Queen's hand. "And there isn't anyone else I'd want to have my children, my love." With these words, both of them smiled at each other for a moment before closing their eyes and going back to sleep.

AN: I hope you've enjoyed the story! There will be more, but I'm not sure when I'll be posting them. It's up to my imagination. If one of you has an idea you would like me to write, let me know in a review or PM and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks for reading!

Update: sort of follow-up story: chapter 4: Merlin the monster hunter