Bedtime Stories
"Daddy! Put me down!" Freya squealed, her face turning red due to all the blood rushing to her head. Merlin laughed and let go of one of her feet, making her drop slightly from her upside-down position. "Ahh! Daddy!"
"Okay sweetie." He chuckled before lowering her slowly to the floor. As soon as he had let go of her legs she had jumped up and flung her arms around his neck again.
"No fair! You said it was my go!" Valiant pouted and crossed his arms from where he was standing on the armchair.
"Daddy doesn't want to hold you upside down because you kick him in the face!" Freya stuck out her tongue and wrapped her legs around her father's waist.
"Come on Val, I can hold both of you at the same time." Both seven year olds raised their eyebrows at him. "What? I'm stronger than I look!" Freya giggled and jumped down, allowing Valiant to climb over his father.
"Daddy! Don't look at the clock!" Freya giggled and stood on her tip-toes, trying to hide the hands that clearly showed that it was time for bed. Merlin chuckled and put down a protesting Valiant.
"Oh no! I desperately need to know what the time is but there is a fair maiden covering the clock with her hands!" Freya giggled and Valiant ran up and placed his own hands over the clock. "Oh, A fair maiden and a knight covering the clock with their hands," Valiant smirked, "Whatever shall I do?" He cocked his leg and tapped his chin with a finger, pretending to think. "Oh, I know."
He grinned and stalked towards them slowly, both children giggling quietly. "I'll just have to use my magic fingers!" They both squealed as he tickled both their sides at the same time, squirming and lowering their arms to pry their Father's arms away. "Yes! It worked! The hands are removed and I can see that the time is," He gasped, staring wide eyed at his still wiggling children. "It's eight O'clock! You know what that means?"
"Nooo!" Merlin scooped them both up under his arms and stomped up the stairs.
"It's time for teeth and bed!"
"Daddy!" They both protested all the way up the stairs until Merlin put them down in the bathroom.
"Now, you clean your teeth properly and then I'll read you a story, okay?"
"Okay Daddy."
"And properly doesn't mean just putting the toothpaste on your brush then sucking it off, okay?"
Both children grumbled before plodding over to the sink and picking out their toothbrushes from the cup. Freya's pink and sparkly; Valiant's a deep blue and covered in red racing cars.
Merlin waited in the bathroom to check that they were cleaning their teeth before making his way over to his children's room.
He'd specifically brought a four bedroom house so both of the children could have a room each and they could still have a guest room, but it wasn't necessary as they outright refused to be in separate rooms.
He reminded them occasionally, "When you're older you will do anything to have a separate room." But they would always dismiss the idea and continue to play whatever game they were playing before.
"We're done Daddy! And I brushed my teeth properly; Valiant just sucked the toothpaste off his toothbrush."
"I did not!" Valiant protested, folding his arms.
"That's okay; I'll just use my 'Dirty Teeth Detector'." Valiant gulped as Merlin knelt in front of him. "Open your mouth." Valiant clamped his hand over his mouth and shook his head. "Why not? Did you clean your teeth properly?" The child nodded once before faltering, and shaking his head. "Off you go then." Valiant ran off to the bath room and Merlin turned to smile at Freya.
"When are you going to tell him there's no real 'Dirty Teeth Detector'?" Merlin gathered her up in his arms and sat with her on her pink, pattered duvet covered bed.
"What are you talking about? Of course there is a 'Dirty Teeth Detector'!" He smirked before pinching Freya on the nose.
"What story are you going to tell us Daddy?" Valiant came running back in, white toothpaste smothering his face.
Merlin held his arms outstretched and Valiant climbed into them, snuggling his nose into his chest. Freya whimpered before snuggling under Merlin's free arm. "You kids are so needy!" He chuckled and kissed Freya on the top of her head.
"Okay, in a time of Myth and land of Magic-"
"That doesn't sound like the start of a story Daddy." Freya stated from where she was twisting Merlin's ring around his finger. "It's supposed to start, Once upon a time."
"Okay then, Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom, ruled over by a cruel King who had banished all Magic and sorcerers-"
"Why?" Valiant piped up."
"Because he thought they were evil." Merlin smiled at him.
"What's the place called?" Freya looked up at her daddy with wide eyes. Merlin frowned for a minute, thinking, before smiling back at her.
"Camelot."
Review and tell me what you think if this start. If you think it's pointless and I shouldn't finish it, tell me! X