This is just some fluff for the holiday. Takes place in my AU future series that started with Avalon's Tear. Please read that one first or this will seem a bit random.
I do not own Merlin, and if I did, it would have had a better ending.
Merlin needed a means of transportation other than taking the bus. It wasn't always feasible to get a photo of the place he needed to go in order to use the teleportation spell. While they didn't panic anymore when he appeared suddenly outside, he would much rather draw less attention. Hence, he had asked for a bicycle, and that was all he wanted.
The three of them went outside on Boxing Day morning. Merlin grinned when he saw the 12-speed red mountain bike. It sat in the back yard by the step. There hadn't been much snow this year, so the roads were free of ice and perfect for bike riding. There had actually been more rain than snow. However, this particular December morning was sunny and crisp.
"Thank you," Merlin said, grinning. "I can't wait to try it."
"First you have to learn how," said Balinor. "The trick is learning how to balance."
He nodded. "It can't be harder than riding on a dragon."
"Well, the thing about riding dragons is they're big. All you have to do is hold on. Bikes are a little harder at first. Most people learn how to ride them as small children. The good thing is that once you learn how, you don't forget."
Merlin climbed onto the bike, started off wobbly, and promptly fell over. He tried riding it again, only to fall over within a minute.
"I can see that I'm going to have to cheat," he said with a sigh.
His eyes turned gold as he lifted up the bike a third time. This time, he climbed on the bike and managed not to fall off.
It was actually quite fun, he thought. There wasn't any traffic to worry about. Once he got enough speed going and reached a hill, he coasted to the bottom of it. It was just as he reached the bottom of the hill that his cell phone rang. He stopped to answer it.
"Morning," said Arthur.
"Hello, Arthur!"
"What did you get for Christmas?"
"A bike."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"You actually managed to ride it without falling off?"
"I had to cheat," the warlock admitted.
Arthur chuckled. "That doesn't surprise me. So are you coming over for New Year's, or not?"
"I will. Oh, I finally got my passport," Merlin replied.
"Really?"
"Yes. They said they're going to make an exception for now, but they're going to set up a system online. It'll be a travel registry for magic users and we'll all have to carry our passports if we go anywhere."
"You knew they were going to do something. They're bureaucrats. They can't have people randomly teleporting in and out without some sort of regulation," Arthur said. "So, when are you going to driving school?"
"Arthur, I'm me. I don't need a car."
"You're going to want one eventually."
"I'll figure it out when it happens. Until then, I have a bike. And I'm going to work out a flying broom spell one of these days."
Arthur chuckled.
"So what did you get for presents?" Merlin asked.
"I got sweaters from my parents, and a photograph from Gwen. And Gwen is moving here next week."
"That's fantastic!"
"I can't wait."
Merlin grinned. "All right, I'll see you this weekend."
As he hung up, Merlin got on the bike once more. The flying brooms had given him an idea. His eyes glowed and the bike floated in the air. Yes, this was definitely better than a broom.
The few people who were out and about that morning got a rare holiday treat - a certain warlock soaring through the clear blue sky on a shiny red bike.
The End