A cute, wintery one shot here because I just felt the need to write some fluff :) I don't own any of the rights to Merlin. Enjoy!
Arthur rolled over with a groan as the morning sunlight hit his eyes. Burying his face in the mountains of pillows, he reached out an arm to drape it over Merlin's waist and pull him in closer. However, Arthur noticed that the bed was empty. The morning frown he had been wearing became more of a lonely pout as the Prince of Camelot lifted his head from where it had been buried in the pillows. He attempted to call out but his voice decided to make Merlin's name sound closer to a mumbled groan than anything else. Flapping his arms slightly, Arthur managed to drag himself up to some sort of sitting position. As his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight- which wasn't really all that bright- the Prince blinked a few times before glancing around the room. Merlin was nowhere to be seen. Frowning deeper Arthur flicked his eyes over to the window. There stood his Manservant; perfectly dressed, leaning against the sill of the window, staring out into the open world. When Arthur's eyes adjusted fully, he could see the almost childish grin spread across Merlin's face. Finally managing to shake off some of his sleep, Arthur swung his legs out of bed and padded over to Merlin's side.
"What's so interesting that you allowed me to wake up to an empty bed?" Arthur whispered with mock jealousy. Merlin remained silent and, with that childish glee shining his eyes, he pointed out the window. Arthur turned his head to look upon a beautiful view of the kingdom covered in a thick, perfectly white blanket of fresh snow. If the Prince hadn't been so captivated by the view he saw, he probably would have rolled his eyes at Merlin's childishness. But it didn't take Arthur long and soon enough his blue eyes rolled skyward.
"Can we?" Merlin suddenly blurted out, the childish tone in his voice shining brightly.
"Can we, what?"
"Can we go out there?"
Arthur's eyes widened at the realisation of what his servant- no he was more than that, his secret-but-not-very-secret lover- had just said.
"Oh come on Arthur, please?" Merlin's puppy dog eyes were out in full force and as soon as Arthur took one glance at them, he knew the argument was already lost. He sighed before walking over to his wardrobe and grabbing out his warmest clothes. Noticing Merlin still hadn't moved, he turned around to face him again.
"Well, are you going to help me get dressed or not?"
The squeak the younger man let out was almost enough to make Arthur change his mind, almost. Hastily, Merlin pulled Arthur into his clothes and gave the Prince hardly two seconds before grabbing his hand and dragging him out the doors. Luckily, it was still quite early in the morning so the majority of the castle was still asleep and not walking the corridors to witness an embarrassed Arthur being dragged along by his clumsy puppy of a servant. Neither of them had ever announced anything publicly but almost everyone in the kingdom had their suspicions. Even the King did not know the full extent of his son and his servant's relationship, though he too had done his fair share of assuming and wondering. The Prince was broken from his thoughts as a gust of ice-cold wind hit his face, sending shivers across his body. Despite his thick winter clothing, Arthur was still shivering with cold as he allowed himself to be pulled along by his servant, not caring much for his appearance since there was no one around to see him.
The castle covered in snow was a truly beautiful sight. Delicate icicles hung from window ledges, fresh powdered snow lay like a cosy blanket along the rooftops, the ground crunched slightly with every step he took. Unfortunately for Arthur, he had got so caught up in the breathtaking beauty of it all that he hadn't noticed Merlin letting go of his arm, walking a few steps away from him, and bending down to gather up a ball of the fresh snow in his hands. By the time the Prince did notice it was far too late as the freezing ball hurled towards him and hit him square in the stomach. After the few moments of shock, he slowly lifted his head to see Merlin staring at him, eyes wide and innocent. Suddenly, a mischievous grin spread across Arthur's lips- two could play at this game. Before Merlin could even figure out what was happening, Arthur's fighting instincts kicked in as he scooped up a handful of the snow, pressed it between his hands slightly and hurled it at his servant. However, Arthur had underestimated him and Merlin slid out the way and was soon forming more balls of snow. Arthur rolled across the ground, narrowly missing one that Merlin threw at him and began doing the same. They picked up a sort of rhythm and before they knew it the entire castle was full of life but they still continued their childish game. The bright glee shone in Merlin's eyes and reflected into Arthur's. For the first time in far too long, Arthur didn't care for his appearance. He simply wished to be a child once more, even if just for a short while.
Little did either of the two men know that above them, King Uther was watching from his window and he had been doing for quite some time. Despite still not having any solid proof, just watching the two of them confirmed the suspicions he had held. He was surprised that he didn't feel even the slightest hint of anger. Only happiness flowed through his body as he watched his son be whoever he wished to be. Slowly, as the boy threw a ball of snow that hit his son in the chest almost knocking him over, Uther smiled. Arthur was happy, which meant in some odd roundabout sort of way, so was he.