Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, dammit. *Sobs*. It belongs to BBC.

Notes: right well, this is a...14 part collection of a bunch of different 'firsts' between Merlin and Arthur. They will vary in length, some will only be a bit longer than a drabble others may be a few word pages, but yeah, (: I quite like this idea.

First [Meeting]

Two different worlds – one of opulence and grandeur and one of full-time work on minimum wage – meet comfortably with two women, old friends, one Ygraine Pendragon and Hunith Emrys. One was a willowy beauty, tall and slim with light blue eyes that glittered as she laughed and gossiped with her old friend. Blonde hair she had, loosely tousled curls bouncing free around her shoulders, wisps floating around her head like a ghost of a halo in the light summer breeze. Her smile was a bright, wide thing – straight white teeth glinting in the sun. She looks like a model, Hunith would think without much jealousy.

Comparison between them came often during their school years, she reflects. And she isn't surprised or resentful of the attention her friend had gotten. She had been born into money; Ygraine had and become the school's poster girl. She was kind and pretty and loved in the same way that Hunith had been a little overlooked by most of the student body, average in looks – never one to turn heads, but perhaps one to attract the gaze of a scant few men ones Ygraine had already turned those heads. But there is nothing wrong with that, she thinks. Some people are just born like that, with the luck of the draw.

"Are you okay Hunith?" The question draws the brunette out of her reverie and she smiles, nodding her head and her hands cup her mug of still warm coffee. They sit in a cute little cafe in London by the park. The prices are higher than Hunith can rightly afford, but it is worth the extra expense to see Ygraine – which is a slightly rarer treat nowadays.

Beside her, her small son, only a few months gurgles in his sleep, stirring. His big blue eyes peer up at her blearily, iridescent things even now, beautiful gems imbedded. It is a mothers' curse to believe her child to be the most beautiful thing in the world, and yet Hunith would swear on every person she knew that Merlin truly is the most beautiful baby boy to grace this planet, with Ygraine's slightly older Arthur a close second.

"Merlin's waking up," Hunith says with a light smile, rising from her seat to gather the tiny bundle of blue baby grow and flesh into her arms before settling. Ygraine looks at the picture with the understanding only a parent can truly understand as Hunith gazes down at her son.

"He is beautiful. Balinor would be so proud," Ygraine says, leaning over the table after brushing the sugar grains from the surface to gaze at the wriggling boy, her own hand steadying on her own slumbering son's pram, as if to ensure nothing happens as her attention is diverted. Hunith glances at her and smiles a little sadly. Merlin is her last tie to the only man she has ever loved – she remembers fondly how excited he had been when she had appeared out of the bathroom holding the pregnancy stick with a bright grin. She remembers how he had picked her up and swung her around in his excitement before darting over to the phone to inform anyone who was willing to listen that he would be a father.

Then a car accident had taken him from them before Merlin had been born – a freak accident that sometimes strike when you least expect it. Hunith smiles, thinking that Merlin has, at the very least, his fathers' nose if nothing else.

"Yes, I believe he would." Merlin reaches up a pudgy little fist, grasping at his mother's hair with a toothless smile and Hunith laughs with him. She rocks him gently, smiling up at Ygraine, who settles back in her seat.

"So have you heard?" the blonde Pendragon starts. "Nimueh has finally gotten into medicine like she wanted, but you know Uther doesn't think..."

They are on their fourth round of drinks – a latte for Ygraine and a simple milky coffee for Hunith – when Arthur stirs from his sleep, a whimpering whine escaping his mouth before those little chubby fists ball up and he is wailing for all to hear.

Ygraine glances at her friend, who is pushing her own son into a lull in his pushchair, who smiles at her sympathetically. The blonde leans over her pushchair with a cooing, "Aw, my poor baby..." She hoists the bundle from his position and tucks him close to her, ducking to a crouch to shift through the baby-bag loaded into the bottom basket – searching for his bottle.

She sits back down, plugging her sons' mouth with the teat of the bottle and shaking her head at Hunith.

"Got a set of lungs on him, this one." She grins, stroking her thumb comfortingly up and down his side as the boy feeds. "Not like your little darling. Maybe he'll be a good influence on my Arthur when they grow up."

"Oh I don't know. If Merlin takes after his father, the boy will forever be coming home with scrapped knees and detentions." The pair shares a laugh and Hunith stands to take Merlin from his pram and slip over to Ygraine, who takes the bottle from Arthur, who looks ready to bawl it again.

"Here you go Merlin, this is Arthur. You'll have to try and keep him out of trouble." Merlin just stares at the boy who is staring at him equally as blankly. Hunith leans forward a bit, so the two babies are within grasping distance of each other, and Merlin is the first to reach out – grasping fingers clenching and unclenching in Arthur's direction, and Arthur simply blinks at him before diverting his attention elsewhere.

Already volumes are spoken about the relationship these two boys will endure in years to come.

/\/\

Whatcha think. Personally I'm not too sure about this one. But heyho. I'm looking forward to the ones to come. (:

Tell me what you think. Or don't. Your choice (: Thanks for reading.