Raise Your Voice
Characters~ Arthur & Merlin
Warnings~ young boys' love (slight OOC 'cause they're kids XD), fluff, everlasting bonds, rich!Arthur, poor!Merlin, a Christmas play, holiday spirit, winter, singing, and...I think that's it. ^^";
Disclaimer~ I do not own Merlin in any way, shape, or form—otherwise Arthur would go on a rampage and totally kill me. XD
Dedications~ For Merthur Dreamer and the rest of my friends (y'all know who y'are XD)
Notes from the KIT-chan~
Just a short Christmas!Merthur drabble fic for all of you...
Enjoy~ :D
.::.*~Kit Shadow~*.::.
~o~
It was a calm winter morning when Arthur woke up early to find the first rays of sunshine softly illuminating the faint traces of shadows that still lingered in the corners of his room.
The blonde let out a small yawn, rubbing his eyes and blinking twice, before sitting up in his bed and reluctantly pushing his warm comfy sheets to step onto the red carpet just below his bare feet.
Before long, his mother's voice could be heard, calling from the bottom of the stairwell out from where she was presently preparing a good breakfast downstairs in the kitchen.
"Arthur! Time for school, love!"
In that instant, the young blonde let out a long sigh, then put a hand over his face as he stood up on his feet to face the closed door on the other side of the room.
"Coming, Mum!" he called, dragging his slippers from under the bed and turning to glance briefly at the tranquil streets of his local neighbourhood, beautifully laced with ivory snow from left to right. Indeed, today was definitely going to be very good for Arthur, considering the fact that it would officially be his first day back in Camelot after a few days' return from almost two years in Devon, where his father had considered a new job at the time and the entire Pendragon family had been temporarily relocated.
In addition to that, the young blonde was more than happy to know that he would see his old friends in school again, after being so far away from his hometown for what seemed like forever to him and not to mention that it would be Christmas in just a few more weeks.
With this in mind, Arthur smiled slightly as he gradually shifted back towards the door and stepped out into the hall to make his way downstairs, to be greeted with the luscious smell of fried eggs and hot flapjacks with maple syrup.
By the time he had sat down in his chair at one end of the table, Ygraine was already at his side, pecking him affectionately on the cheek before placing a full plate of breakfast in front of him. Arthur let out a yawn, then blinked before looking up to meet his mother's warm gaze with sleepy eyes.
Ygraine chuckled softly, shifting across the table to pour a glass of cold milk. "Well, it's good to see that somebody's awake this morning. Are you excited for your first time back at school today, Arthur?"
At that moment, the young Pendragon sighed, nodding once as he picked up his fork to and stared at one of the sunny-side up eggs sitting at the edge of his plate. "Mm-hmm."
In response, Ygraine smiled and placed the glass beside him before leaving her child at the table to continue poking at his flapjacks. Arthur took a deep breath, then stuffed a chunk of buttermilk maple-sweet goodness into his mouth that instant.
~o~
For a while, the room became quite silent from that point on, except for the few short conversations mother and son would have occasionally. But still—the atmosphere in the kitchen now seemed somewhat warmer and a bit lazier, almost mirroring the young blonde's feelings at the moment.
By the time Arthur had finished the last of his delicious meal, he quickly glanced up at the wall clock, only to find that he'd had twenty full minutes to spare before his bus's arrival. In the next instant, he'd risen from his seat, about to bring his plate over towards the kitchen sink...when suddenly he'd heard a faint clattering sound outside from the window behind him.
Clank-clank.
Immediately, the Pendragon stiffened and whirled around to narrow his eyes, peering intently through the fogged-up glass only to catch the view of his neighbour across the street busily shovelling large scoops of snow away from his precious driveway.
At this, the blonde frowned in confusion, shifting his gaze away from the elderly man that instant. Obviously it hadn't been him who had made the peculiar rattling noise.
Arthur let out a sigh, then reluctantly turned away from the window to pick his empty plate back up in his hands once more.
...but that was when he'd heard another clatter and quickly whipped his head around again to catch a curious flash of red and blue out on his side of the street. And when the young Pendragon narrowed his eyes to scrutinise upon the sight, his breath had stilled instantly as his gaze had fixed on a small raven-haired boy walking out on the sidewalk, near where his family's mailbox was standing.
He couldn't have been more than the same age as Arthur, if not younger. A bright red scarf was wrapped around his neck, and he was wearing an old, worn-out brown jacket over a dark teal sweater. Not only that, the boy had been dragging what seemed to be a very large sack on the ground behind him, bending down every now and then to pick up empty tin cans he would find scattered on the sides of the road.
At this, Arthur sucked in a sharp intake of air, watching carefully as the latter proceeded to move on past his house and stopped almost right in front of his view, a few feet away from the very window he was looking through.
As the raven bent down again to pick up another empty can, he'd stiffened in an instant when he'd finally come to the idea that he was indeed being watched. The minute he'd tentatively raised his head to meet wide cerulean eyes, his countenance grew timid when he saw the young blonde staring curiously at him through the window nearby.
In response from where he was sitting, Arthur had swallowed hard, likewise returning the other's gaze with a sheepish expression on his face.
He'd had blue irises...just about the same as his, but with a different, strangely softer gleam, like liquid sapphire mixed with something warm. Not to mention how pale the other's expression as it almost outmatched the snowy wonderland surrounding him.
With that, the two stared on blankly, the raven's cheeks gradually flushing light pink after a few moments.
But that was when Arthur was snapped out of his reverie, as soon as Ygraine had called his name from the kitchen sink.
"Arthur, love?"
Immediately, the blonde exhaled sharply, whirling around to meet his mother's concerned gaze. "Yeah?" he'd replied in a rushed tone.
For a minute, Ygraine stared with a curious demeanour, amused slightly by the newly established expression on her son's face. "Your bus arrives here in ten minutes," she continued in a cordial voice, briefly darting her eyes towards the wall clock at the other side of the room. "Don't you think it's already time that you should be getting dressed?"
There was a long pause.
In an instant, Mrs. Pendragon glanced back, only to find the young blonde gazing absent-mindedly out the window again.
"Arthur," she spoke calmly, an eyebrow raised.
At this, the latter flinched, quickly meeting his mother's stare with wide eyes. "Huh? Oh, right—sorry," he murmured, getting up from his seat to place his empty plate into the kitchen sink.
When he turned around to leave, Ygraine stared thoughtfully at him, waiting for a few moments before speaking once more with a curious edge to her tone.
"...did it have big ears, almost the same tint as the snow?"
Abruptly, Arthur stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning his head to look at his mother with a slightly flustered expression.
"Excuse me, Mum?"
In response, Ygraine only laughed lightly, shifting her gaze towards the nearby window to stare outside into the wintery street.
"Oh, nothing...I was just wondering what got you so distracted all of a sudden," she chuckled softly, taking a seat in the chair her son had previously been sitting in. "It wasn't a snowshoe hare, was it?" she asked tentatively, peering into the cold glass with searching eyes.
At first, it'd been a while before the young blonde finally came upon the realisation. And after a few more moments, he'd smiled and slowly shook his head, smirking a bit at how amazingly close he'd come to considering the idea of the raven being mistaken for a cute and adorable little bunny. In fact, he might as well have just pictured the boy himself dressed up as a snowshoe hare, since they would have been so very much alike.
With that amusing image in his mind, he turned slowly to leave the room to begin making his way towards the stairs. But just as he was about to take his first step, he couldn't help but glimpse over his shoulder to glance at the window again, only to see that the raven-haired boy was no longer there.
~o~
"Don't forget your jacket! It's freezing today!"
Arthur let out a sigh, then reached over to grab his puffy red coat from the rack. "Yes, Mum!" he cried out in reply, slipping on his dark boots before opening the door.
As he stepped out onto the front porch, all he could see were more people shovelling snow while others were busily putting up Christmas decorations outside on their windows.
Then he continued down the steps, greeted with the first breeze of icy winter air rushing past him. The young Pendragon shivered, zipping his coat up to his throat.
It's so cold out...
Arthur swallowed, then stepped out onto the sidewalk, looking around to see if his bus was already there or not. At the same time, a part of himself drove him to search for the mysterious raven as well.
But the latter was nowhere in sight, and before he could even begin to think where the boy could have possibly gone, a flash of yellow immediately caught his eye, forcing him to sprint towards it in an instant until he was finally sitting down beside his friend Leon in the back of the bus.
"Nice to see you again, mate," he'd laughed, shifting over to give Arthur more room for him to sit.
~o~
By the time the bus had dropped them all off to school, the teacher was already starting roll call, and Arthur was glad to be reunited with all of his old friends.
"Arthur?" she called inquisitively, looking up from the roster that she was presently in her hands.
The blonde raised his hand. "Here," he replied in a clear tone.
The teacher nodded once, then continued on down her list while Arthur quickly made his way over to join Leon, Percival, and Gwaine on the other side of the room.
"Good to have you back," Gwaine chuckled, playfully elbowing him on the shoulder with a grin.
"How was Devon?" Percival asked, his voice hushed as the teacher glanced up from her list to look in his direction.
"Here," he called promptly before diverting his attention back towards his friend.
"It was fine," Arthur laughed. He shot a smug smirk at Gwaine, then turned to listen carefully as his teacher continued to call names, and he let out a small sigh as he curiously looked around to observe all the new faces that were present in the classroom.
But soon his eyes stopped immediately when he'd seen the raven-haired boy himself—the very same one he'd seen that morning—sitting all alone in his own corner and recognised his timid expression in an instant the minute he'd caught a glimpse of his bright red scarf and dark teal sweater.
At that moment, the blonde abruptly held his breath and stared at the latter with wide eyes, exhaling slowly only after briefly remembering their first encounter just earlier that dawn.
It isn't until after what seemed to be a long while before he finally snapped back to reality to notice that the room had suddenly grown silent and the teacher was looking around with searching eyes.
"Merlin?" she'd called for the second time, shifting her gaze towards another part of the classroom.
In that instant, the children started to murmur, and Arthur watched as they turned their heads in opposite directions, some standing up on their feet to recognise the student in question. What caught his attention the most, however, was how the raven had stirred, raising his head to look at where the teacher was standing.
At that, the blonde's breath stilled, staring at him with curious eyes.
Merlin...what a peculiar name...
"Merlin?"
There had still been no response to the teacher's call. With that, she sighed, skipping to the next name on her roster.
But before she could continue on, Arthur noticed Gwaine's eyes quickly dart over to the far corner of the room, and in a split second, the brunette had shot his hand up in the air, catching the teacher's attention.
"He's over there, Miss Murray," he called in a clear voice, pointing in the direction where the raven was presently sitting.
At this, she nodded once, turning to meet timid blue eyes as the boy named Merlin looked up from his desk and managed a small smile.
Miss Murray beamed back. "All right, Merlin," she chuckled, checking his name off her list before glancing over at the brunette. "Thank you, Gwaine."
Gwaine grinned smugly, then sighed and sat back down in his chair next to Arthur, who now wore an astonished expression on his face. "It's quite amazing how quiet this bloke always is. Nice lad, but barely ever says a word to any of us during the day. Sometimes we almost forget to remember he's even there when he just stays in his own little corner by himself."
"You know him?" the young Pendragon whispered, shifting his gaze from Merlin to his good friend.
In response, the brunette laughed, following the other's stare towards the raven in question. "Of course I do, mate. He's been going to this school for quite a long time now—actually came here only a few days after you'd gone and left Camelot."
Arthur's eyes almost widened tenfold. "You're not serious."
"Oh, but I am," Gwaine replied with a playful smirk. "But don't you worry—it's not like you've already been replaced, Your Majesty."
At this, the blonde briefly rolled his eyes at the brunette, then turned to watch thoughtfully as the raven began to play with his long, slender fingers under his desk and barely paid any attention to Miss Murray when she'd announced the start of class activities.
~o~
Even by the end of the day, Arthur was still looking at Merlin from afar.
"Alright, class! One last thing!" Miss Murray called, standing at the front of the room to catch everyone's attention. When they had all finally settled down, she walked past each desk to hand each student a small sheet of paper with words typed up on the front.
The minute she began passing Arthur's row, Leon had to lightly elbow the blonde on the shoulder just to bring him back to Earth.
"We will be having our fifth annual Christmas play three weeks from today," Miss Murray announced, handing the last student her sheet of paper. "Tomorrow will be our first practice, and what I have just given you now contains the lyrics to the song that you will be singing tomorrow in order to determine your parts in the school play. Please memorise and know them well if you wish to participate in any of the major roles. I am pleased to say that Madame Nimueh will be present with me tomorrow to help organise you into your places," she finished with a smile. "So I ask that you all do your best, and..."
At that moment, the school bell rang.
"...good luck!" the teacher exclaimed, waving the children off.
"Finally," Gwaine mutters under his breath beside Arthur.
The blonde frowns and stares down at the sheet of paper to read the title centred and bolded in print:
STAR OF WONDER
At this, he let out a long, suffering sigh, looking up to gaze across to the other side of the room, only to find that the raven he's looking for has already left the room.
But then he felt a pat on his shoulder and looked up to see Leon standing next to him with backpack in hand. "Taking the bus home, mate?" the latter asked eagerly.
Arthur amiably shook his head. "Nah—you can go on ahead. Mum's picking me up today."
Leon nodded once in understanding, then left the room.
~o~
Shortly after school, however, when Ygraine did pick her son up from school, she'd had to go back to the hospital to take care of a couple more things concerning work and was left with no choice but to take Arthur along with her.
He never did mind going to the hospital, though, since he'd gone with his mum plenty of times back then even before they'd left for Devon, thus making it almost like a second home to him at that point.
"I'll just be a few minutes, sweetheart, alright?" Ygraine enquired cordially before making her way into the next corridor.
"Yes, Mum," Arthur replied, taking a seat to wait. After a while, the young Pendragon had sighed, turning to glance over at the corridor next to him.
And literally almost fell over his chair at the flamboyant, familiar flash of red and blue in the closest room nearby.
~o~
Arthur sat still for a few seconds, then carefully rose from his seat to peer through the window of the door to that room and just as he'd expected, found Merlin sitting in a small chair at the patient's bedside. As the young blonde shifted closer to get a better look inside, he'd noticed that there was a soft smile on the latter's face that gave him a comforting feeling deep down inside the very core of his heart—a odd but unique warmth that Arthur knew he would never forget.
The raven sighed, then went back to talking to the petite, frail brunette lying under the covers who the blonde could only assume to be his mother. At this, Arthur frowned contemplatively at the sight and turned away from the window, only to find Dr. Gaius standing right behind him.
"Why, hello, Arthur," the elder man spoke, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "What brings you here at this hour?"
The Pendragon stiffened and swallowed hard, nodding once. "Gaius," he spoke in a clear, respectful tone. "Er—Mum said she needed to take care of a few more things before bringing me home. I'm just waiting here until she's finished."
There was a moment of silence.
The doctor looked at him for a long second, then glanced over into the room he'd caught the latter peering through before he'd finally shifted his gaze back to the young blonde.
Arthur took a deep breath, meeting Dr. Gaius's firm stare as he spoke with a slightly astonished edge to his professional-sounding voice.
"Hm. I see you know Merlin, then?"
At this, the blonde fumbled sheepishly, then turned to follow the old doctor's gaze.
"Yeah," he replied in a quiet, even tone. "He goes to my school."
There was a short pause.
Gaius nodded comprehensively. "I see."
At that moment, the raven was holding the woman's hand, expression sad but meaningful. Arthur's eyes softened at the sight. "Is that his mum?" he asked in a calm, hushed murmur.
"Yes."
The blonde pondered for a second, then lowered his eyes. "Does he come here often?"
Dr. Gaius exhaled slowly and pulled his glasses off to clean them with a handkerchief from his pocket. "I should say that he spends his time here about every afternoon to visit," he replied. He put the handkerchief away, then raised his glasses towards the light, examining each lens. "Why, at this point it's almost become like a second home to him, this hospital," the elder man finished in a quiet tone.
At this, Arthur takes a deep breath, then looks back up to see the raven smile again. "He doesn't have anyone else to take care of him, then? He just walks here alone from school every day?" he asked contemplatively.
Gaius nodded carefully in response. "Yes," he spoke, sighing as he looked back towards where Merlin and his mother were presently laughing. "But then again...Merlin is a special case."
The blonde frowned thoughtfully and turned his head to glance up at the old doctor. "What do you mean?"
The elder man paused briefly, then closed his eyes to speak in a serious tone. "His father left them when he was very young. The boy has already experienced far more than you can imagine, for he has already faced the difficult sides of life at such an early age just from merely living on the streets." He opened his eyes, peering down at Arthur with a soft expression on his face. "To be honest, I already try as much as I can to make sure he is as comfortable as possible here, but no matter how much I go about it, he is just too humble and too ambitious to stay put in one spot without doing anything to take care of his own self."
The young Pendragon's countenance grew pensive. "He doesn't stay here, then?"
Gaius sadly shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
For a moment there was another long pause between them, but then Arthur nodded slowly in comprehension, looking back at the blue-eyed raven from afar.
"Hm," he'd replied just above a low murmur. "Well...where does he go, when he's not here or at school?"
The old doctor's only reply is a mere shrug. "Why, sometimes I don't even know myself. He just wanders off to various places nearby, doing whatever he can to put bread on the table every night, just as it seems he's been trained to do ever since he was very young."
The blonde tilted his head slightly. "Does he now?"
Gaius sighed. "One can never truly understand how far this boy would go solely for his mother," he replied in a meaningful voice. Then he shifted his gaze from Arthur to the latter standing at the other side of the room and spoke in a hushed murmur. "But if it all really means all that much to you, Arthur, why don't you go talk to the boy himself? Make some new friends while your father's work still remains here in Camelot. Didn't your mother mention you might be moving again after New Year's Day?"
At this, the young Pendragon frowned and looked down at the floor before glancing up to watch Merlin pull the covers over his mother's shoulders with kind eyes and a warm expression that seemed almost captivating to him in that instant. And for a minute, Arthur couldn't help but smile at the raven, slowly reaching down to grab the doorknob in his hand.
But that was when his own mother had called him from the other end of the corridor, and he'd had no choice but to back off for this one moment, hesitating slightly before turning away from the door. "Maybe next time," he muttered to himself and probably to Dr. Gaius as well, as he started to make his way down the hall towards where his mum was waiting.
However just when he'd turned his back, he'd neglected to notice that fact that Merlin had looked up to stare back at him with timid eyes.
This would not be the last time that they would cross paths again.
~o~
The next evening after school, Ygraine needed to work a later shift at the hospital and as she left, asked her son to do her a small favour by walking down to the store nearby to buy bread and milk.
Later on that afternoon, Arthur had just finished his mother's errand and was on his way home from the store when suddenly he heard the sound of music not far from where he was walking. It wasn't until he passed another block and noticed that prominent glimpse of red and blue did the blonde finally stop in his tracks to turn around and see the raven himself singing to a young couple out in the middle of the town square, receiving generous amounts of money from them for every song that he'd finish.
For a moment, Arthur stood there at the edge of the square, almost mesmerised by just how beautiful the latter's voice was and watched silently as he revealed that contagious smile every now and then.
But by the time Merlin had begun to walk away for the night, counting the coins he'd just gained in his hands, the young Pendragon had just been about to leave for home as well.
That is...until he'd suddenly heard a shout from behind.
Immediately, the blonde whirled around, then gaped in horror when he saw a policeman and a dangerously suspicious-looking man dressed in a long coat chasing the raven out of the square in hot pursuit.
At this, Arthur stiffened where he was, then ran headlong after them without another moment to lose.
~o~
By that point, the young blonde had already known the streets of Camelot like the back of his hand, since he'd been out with his mum so many times. Instinctively he'd taken the nearest shortcut around a nearby corner and arrived just in time to see two other men grab Merlin harshly by the shoulders.
Their faces had been far from kind, and Arthur watched as they shook the poor raven, calling him a thief and telling him that children like him should rot in prison.
"I'm not a thief!" Merlin cried, desperately struggling under the two men's grasp. "Please let me go! I didn't steal anything!"
But before he could even speak another word, both of them were already calling the policeman over, wide triumphant grins spreading over their smug faces.
"Here's your culprit, officer!" one yelled, waving his free hand vigorously.
At that moment, the blonde swallowed hard, turning to see the innocent expression on the raven's face only become more fearful than it was before.
And in an instant, he rushed over as fast as he could and quickly tugged Merlin away from them.
"Hey!" the other man shouted, reaching his arms out to grab them both back. But Arthur pushed the raven out of the latter's reach, turning to look at him with intent eyes.
"Run."
~o~
Eventually after sprinting for what seemed to be quite a very long time, the two boys stopped on a nearby sidewalk and sat down to catch their breaths.
"I think we lost them," Arthur gasped, turning to look at Merlin. But when he saw the raven, he'd found him staring down at the curb with wide eyes, his body entirely shaking in fear.
At this, the blonde's eyes immediately softened, and unconsciously, he'd reached a hand out towards the latter to comfort him. However, the poor thing had only cringed back, and Arthur reluctantly pulled his hand away, feeling a bit torn.
"Sorry," he murmured softly.
After a brief pause, he spoke in a calmer voice, staring at the raven with concerned eyes. "Are you all right?"
For a minute it was silent.
But then Merlin nodded quietly in response, placing his chin on top of curled-up knees.
Understanding, Arthur nodded back, then shifted his gaze to look away from the raven and out into the dimly lit streets, thinking about the things he'd heard from his classmates about how shy the latter was—especially around new people.
And with that, he couldn't help but let out a sigh, staring blankly out into the night sky.
~o~
After a while, however, the young Pendragon finally heard him speak in just above a soft, hushed whisper.
"Arthur...?"
In that instant, the blonde eagerly turned to meet the raven's gaze.
But out of impulse, Merlin quickly lowered his eyes. "Er...thanks for saving me," he managed carefully in a timid voice. "I..."
At this, Arthur's eyes softened, and the young Pendragon shifted closer to him to hear the rest of what he'd had to say.
The raven flushed slightly, looking away from the latter. "I...don't know what I would have done if you...hadn't been there." He swallowed hard, then tentatively glanced up at the blonde. "But...why did you do that? You hardly even know me, don't you?"
For a moment, Arthur paused and closed his eyes, taking the other's question into consideration. Then he shrugged nonchalantly in response and peered down at the blacktop, speaking in a casual voice. "I saw you...Christmas carolling in the square on my way back home from the store, and well...I recognised you immediately from school. All I did was act on first instinct when I saw that man grab you by the shoulders."
Merlin nodded quietly, resting his chin once more on curled-up knees.
The blonde pondered briefly, then looked at him with reluctant eyes. "You didn't actually steal anything, did you?"
At this, the raven vigorously shook his head. "Of course I didn't. Those guys just made a mistake in thinking I was a thief." He let out a small sigh, then gave a sad frown. "Who could blame them though? It's not like it's normal to see some kid running from a policeman out in the middle of the streets."
Arthur's face became pensive. "Why were he and that other man chasing you back there in the first place?"
Merlin closed his eyes. "...something I've been used to for a long time now," he replied in a solemn tone. Then he looked down at his hands with a melancholic expression. "They're already thinking of putting me in an orphanage and separating me from Mum when she's not dead."
The sharp edge in the latter's last few words instantly forced the blonde to glance back at him.
After a moment of silence, the raven took a deep breath, looking up to meet the other's concerned gaze with softer eyes.
"...I'm sorry," he murmured, just above a hushed whisper. "It's just that...she's been in that hospital for almost a year now, and ever since she got sick...I'm the one who's been doing everything to make sure she gets well again."
In response, Arthur nodded slowly in understanding. "Is that why you were singing to those people earlier before in the square?"
Merlin nodded once, a sombre expression on his face. "Collecting cans out on the streets...Christmas carolling on doorsteps...name it." He lowered his eyes morosely, then gazed out into the dimly lit darkness, speaking in a sad voice. "I need every bit I can get to pay for the things they're giving her back at the hospital. Until they make her better, I can't stop going around doing all of this every day."
In that instant, Arthur's eyes softened as he remembered what Gaius had told him before, and for the first time in his life, he couldn't bring himself to say anything to reply until finally when he'd decided to subtly change the subject.
"Merlin," the blonde spoke in a quiet tone.
The raven paused briefly, then turned to face him tentatively.
For a minute, the Pendragon waited, choosing his words carefully at that point, before meeting the other's gaze with a curious gleam in his eyes.
"...you sing really well. Do you know that?"
Merlin flushed slightly. "W-what?" he mumbled, looking away from the blonde. "No, I'm really not that good of a—"
Arthur let out a long sigh. "Please. What kind of kid would actually be able to remember the words to all of those Christmas carols by heart and hit every single high note?" he replied, sarcastically rolling his eyes with a smile. "Do you wonder so many people go and pay up to listen to you? Or better yet—haven't you even realised that?"
Merlin's eyes widened, his cheeks fading into a light pink. "No," he murmured, astonishment in his voice. "I actually haven't."
At this, the blonde chuckled, shaking his head in mock disbelief before looking up at the sky. "You're a riddle, Merlin," he sighed, shifting his gaze towards him. "To be honest, sometimes I actually wouldn't mind being able to sing at least a smidge as much as you can."
In an instant, the raven started to laugh, Arthur following him not long after.
"Really," he continued, looking straight into Merlin's eyes. "I'll tell you now I still haven't memorised the lyrics to that song for school even. I'm as good as dead when Madame Nimueh sees me standing there in the back of the stage like an absolute prat," the Pendragon laughed, facing the stars high above him.
Merlin chuckled softly, a huge smile spreading wide on his face. "Would you like some help then? I don't think I'd want you ending up as the donkey in the stable for the play."
Arthur grinned back. "Neither do I."
At that, both laughed again. Then the raven sighed, taking out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "All right," he muttered, handing the scrap out to the other. "Here. You can use this for now."
In response, the blonde merely took the paper from him with a smirk: "You would have the lyrics to the song floating around in your pocket."
Merlin snorted, then smiled at Arthur again. "Do you want me to help you or not?"
Arthur smirked.
The raven cleared his throat, looking at him with a calm expression. "How about this: we can sing it all together until you remember every single word to the song. Does that work for you, Sire?"
Arthur gave a big grin, then nodded once. "Yes—it does, Merlin."
The latter chuckled lightly, then exhaled. "On the count of three, then..." he sighed, closing his eyes and quickly composing his expression.
For a moment, the blonde couldn't help but watch thoughtfully as he realised just how beautiful Merlin looked in this new, professional stance.
And as the words of melody began to spill into the air like sunlight, Arthur found himself gazing back up at the night sky, rhythmically following along with the raven while the two of them sang the first few lines of the song.
"Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding…"
~The next morning in the school auditorium~
"...guide us to thy Perfect Light."
When the piano had stopped playing, Arthur and Merlin looked at each other meaningfully from opposite sides of the stage, separated by the sea of children that was their class.
Then in the next moment, they turned to see Miss Murray standing up from her seat, giving them all a standing ovation.
At this, the two of them smiled, then joined their classmates in giving her a grateful, respectful bow.
Miss Murray smiled brightly, beaming at each and every one of her students with glee. "That was a very good job! Well done, all of you!"
Arthur gave a big grin, glancing up to meet the teacher's appraising gaze. But when he glanced over to look at the raven again, he'd only found him staring solemnly in the direction where Madame Nimueh was presently sitting—vigorously scribbling something on her notepad with a nonchalant expression on her face.
Merlin kept his eyes on her for a moment, then diverted his attention back to Miss Murray as she made her final announcements for the day.
"Remember to check for your roles out on the bulletin in the corridor before you leave today!" she finished, dismissing her students with a wave.
Madame Nimueh briefly raised her head from her book to give the children an impassive nod.
~o~
By the time Arthur had reached the end of the corridor at the end of the day, there had already been a large, chattering crowd gathered in front of the bulletin board.
The blonde stopped somewhere near the back, then struggled to make his way through to the large stack of papers thumb-tacked to the wall.
"What part did you get?" Gwaine called to Lancelot, who'd been standing not far behind him towards the front of the crowd.
"Er...the little drummer boy," he'd replied with a humble grin. "What about you?"
In an instant, Leon and Percival had jumped to the brunette's side, giving him a smug smirk. "Why, it turns out he's one of us," Percival laughed, placing a hand on Gwaine's shoulder. "The three wise men—that we are."
Lancelot chuckled lightly, shifting his gaze to the young Pendragon as he made his way through the mob of children.
"What about you, Arthur?" Gwaine called curiously, reaching over to pat his good friend on the shoulder.
But Arthur only shrugged. "I don't know yet. I haven't seen—"
"He's Joseph," another voice spoke from behind the blonde.
At that moment, all five of them stiffened, directing their gaze towards where a petite green-eyed girl with long brown hair was holding an oddly familiar stack of papers in her hands.
Immediately, Leon turned to look the bulletin, then back to the little girl. "Wait—Morgana, how did you—"
"I have my ways," she replied with a deviant smile, handing to another girl standing beside her. "Here you go, Gwen. I think you're Mary."
In that instant, Arthur shifted his gaze towards Guinevere, who'd shyly lowered her eyes in response. Then he looked back at his cousin with a derisive gleam in his eyes.
"And what are you to be?" he asked amusedly, crossing his arms across his chest.
Morgana rolled her eyes, then gave a slight shrug. "Well, if you must know, I'm going to be one of those angels that'll dance in front of you all when you sing," she spoke in as-a-matter-of-fact tone. "Vivian, Mithian, and Elena are the others, and we'll steal the show while the rest of you just stand there at the back of the stage smiling like complete idiots." She paused, then glanced quickly at her friend. "Sorry, Gwen—I didn't mean you," she added in a meaningful tone.
Guinevere nodded with a smile. "No offense taken," she replied, shifting her stare towards Lancelot, who'd been standing just a few feet across from her. "Besides, this thing's supposed to be fun. Is that right, Lance?" she beamed, a prominent sparkle shining in her chocolate-brown eyes.
At this, the latter flushed slightly, pulling his hands out of his pockets. "Er—yeah," he replied, grinning back and scratching the back of his head with one hand.
The group laughed at once, Arthur turning away from them after a few moments to gaze at the timid raven, who was standing all by himself near the other side of the bulletin.
By that time, the mob had already dispersed, and the blonde immediately excused himself from the conversation to walk over to his newly made friend.
"What about you, Merlin?" Arthur enquired, leaning on the wall beside the raven.
In response, the latter shrugged, lifting his head up to stare up at the stack of papers that someone had so graciously returned back to its rightful place. With that, the young Pendragon frowned curiously at him, then lifted his head to skim through the list of names until he got to Merlin's, just below his.
"Gabriel," he read softly, turning to look at the raven, who was now wearing a small smile of content on his face.
But just as either of them opened their mouths to say something, Madame Nimueh had approached them in the hall, giving a slight nod of acknowledgment to Merlin.
"I trust you'll do me proud," she spoke in an official-sounding voice. "I know your mother holds you to quite a high standard."
At this, the raven nodded back with a timid expression on his face.
Nimueh gave a small sound of approval, then suddenly darted her eyes over to Arthur with what almost seemed like a look of disgust.
"You. We'll all be lucky that you'll just be standing quietly in the back of the stage for the entire play with the rest of your friends over there," she murmured, raising an eyebrow. Then she nodded once to Merlin again, turning to leave with her notepad in hand.
As soon as she'd been out of sight, the raven suddenly broke out into a wave of laughter.
"At least she didn't make you the donkey, then..."
"Shut up, Merlin."
~o~
"That woman scares me more than anything I've ever seen," the blonde stated, still cringing quite a bit from the distasteful stare he'd been given just moments ago.
That afternoon, the usual group of seven, along with Merlin as a new addition, were sitting on Arthur's front porch, holding cups of hot cocoa in their hands.
Gwaine snorted. "You said it. For a moment I thought she was going to bite your head off there."
"My sister Morgause said she almost did rip off a student's arm for messing up on stage," Morgana spoke, blowing the rim of her warm beverage.
"Same with my brother Elyan," Gwen added. "Although I think he was overreacting a bit when he said that..."
"How do you get on with her so well?" Arthur asked, turning to look at Merlin with an incredulous gaze.
The raven smiled coyly, then looked up at the group. "Well...my mum used to be a music teacher, too," he replied brightly. "She pretty much already knows me all because of her."
In that instant, Percival almost choked on his coffee, staring up at Merlin with disbelief. "You're not serious," he answered, wiping his mouth with his wrist. "Really?"
The raven nodded, chuckling softly.
Arthur blinked twice, contemplating on the subject. "Hmm...so that explains why you've got such a good singing voice."
"No wonder she put you as Gabriel," Lancelot said, looking at Merlin with a contemplative countenance.
The raven grinned bashfully, then leaned down to take a sip of his hot cocoa.
"But Merlin," Gwen spoke in a concerned tone, looking up from her own mug. "O Holy Night? That's such a hard song, even for someone as talented as you..."
Morgana let out a long sigh, putting her cup down beside her. "Nimueh knows he can sing, that's why. She put him up to the job on purpose—she's counting on him to get everyone's attention just by singing that particular song."
The rest of the group murmured in agreement, diverting their attention to the raven sitting by the blonde.
And Arthur looked at Merlin with reassuring eyes. "He can do it perfectly, though," he replied in a clear, confident tone.
The latter smiled, shyly lowering his gaze with a flushed face.
The Pendragon's expression softened. "I know it."
~o~
For the next couple of weeks or so, the raven and blonde often found themselves meeting outside by the hospital at the usual spot on the sidewalk. After practice, they would talk and laugh, discussing what they'd do when the holidays finally came around.
And before either of them could realise it, there would only be three days left until the play.
~o~
"Don't forget to remind your parents!" Miss Murray called, just as the children started to leave for their buses. "The big day's coming up soon! Be sure to practice your lines if you have any!"
~o~
"Mum?" Arthur asked tentatively from the back seat of the car.
"Yes, Arthur?" Ygraine replied, making a turn around a nearby corner.
The young blonde paused for a minute, then carefully spoke the next few words. "Do you know if...Dad's going to be home for Christmas this year?"
There was a long moment of silence.
Arthur waited for her response with hopeful eyes.
But his mother only frowned and spoke in a sad tone.
"I'm sorry, love…but I don't really know. I'm afraid I haven't heard anything from your father since the day we arrived back in Camelot. Why do you ask?"
At this, the blonde sighed, shifting his gaze down to his hand leaning on the armrest.
"Nothing."
~o~
The next time the two boys had met, Merlin had been more than thrilled to see Arthur as he'd been excited to spread the news Dr. Gaius had told him a few short moments ago.
"Arthur, guess what?" the raven asked eagerly, gazing at the latter with glimmering blue eyes.
In response, the Pendragon couldn't help but chuckle at the animated expression on his friend's face. "What?" he replied, tone amused.
Merlin gave a wide grin, then spoke to him in a hushed but gleeful voice. "My mum's coming to see us in the school play," he murmured. "The nurses said she'd be well enough to walk by then, so they've decided to let her out of the hospital that day."
At that moment, Arthur made a small sound of approval, nodding once to his best friend. "That's great, Merlin," he responded, gazing into his eyes meaningfully. "Now she'll be able to hear you sing."
The raven's eyes softened, and he glanced down for a moment at his feet. "Yeah...I guess so," he murmured with a smile. Then he looked up at the moonlit sky. "I can finally make her proud."
The blonde stared warmly at him, then let out a small sigh, looking down pensively at the blacktop before him.
In that instant, Merlin turned to gaze thoughtfully at his best friend. "...is your dad going to be there, too?" he asked tentatively, timid eyes fixed on the other's face.
Not much longer than a few days ago, Arthur had filled the raven in completely on how his father had been a big-time businessman in England, which was why he'd been so popular in school. And he'd explained even the fact that his family had to move to many different places because of his father's prominent reputation.
The young Pendragon slowly shook his head, frowning. "I don't know."
There was a long pause. The sombre tone to the latter's words caused Merlin to wince, as if he'd been the one caught in the problem instead of Arthur.
At this, the blonde swallowed, staring back down at his hands folded on top of his knees.
But that was when a hand of ivory reached over to calmly take his, with long, slender fingers wrapping around his wrist. Instantly, Arthur shifted his gaze to look over at Merlin, who was now looking at him with warm, reassuring eyes.
"Don't worry," the raven murmured, eyes shimmering under the dim moonlight. "He'll be there for you. I know it."
The blonde held his breath. Then he exhaled slowly, lightly placing his other hand over his best friend's.
"Thank you, Merlin."
~o~
The next day had just been like any other day. The sun was shining, and Arthur had walked into school, greeted as usual by all of his friends.
But when the blonde had sat down at his seat, he'd noticed something was missing that instant from the corner at the other side of the room, and it hadn't taken him long before he knew what—or who it was.
Merlin hadn't come in to school that morning.
~o~
By the time Arthur had reached the hospital, he'd instantly found out why when the nurses had told him first thing not to go to the last room at the far end of the hall, for "the patient that usually dwelled inside had recently just passed on."
And then he'd run into Dr. Gaius, who'd calmly led him away from the corridor, explaining all the recent occurrences to him in the softest of words as possible.
Later, the blonde had seen the young raven sitting out on the back steps by himself, his face buried in curled-up knees.
Try to comfort him as much as you can, the doctor had told him, shortly before leaving the two of them alone.
At this, Arthur winced, silently approaching Merlin to sit down beside him.
But the latter made no response to his presence whatsoever—just the faintest sound of a tiny sob.
In that instant, the blonde's eyes softened as he saw his friend start to cringe and reached over to calmly take his hand into his.
Immediately, Merlin raised his head from his knees and leaned against Arthur's shoulder with hot tears streaming down his face. He let out another sob, then sniffled.
"Arthur..."
The young Pendragon closed his eyes, holding the raven close beside him. "Shh...I know," he whispered quietly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
~o~
"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay..."
From backstage, Arthur watched silently as Morgana and the other angels finished practicing their last routine, plié-ing and bowing their heads in graceful poses. Then he solemnly shifted his gaze to glance back at a melancholic Merlin staring forlornly out the window just a few feet away.
And not long after that, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Lancelot, along with Leon, Percival, and Gwaine standing behind him with the same sombre expressions on each of their faces as the five of them watched Miss Murray settle matters outside with the policeman and the man wearing his long fancy coat, who Arthur had earlier found out to be the caretaker of the local orphanage. They'd arrived at the front door only ten minutes ago, asking if Merlin Emrys was presently attending this school.
"We're not letting them take him without a fight," Gwaine declared boldly. "If they want him, they'll have to go through us first."
The blonde stared longingly at the raven, then nodded once to all of his friends before stepping forward to approach his best friend.
At the sound of the latter's footsteps, Merlin closed his eyes. "That's it," he sighed miserably, resting his chin on the windowsill. "They're going to come and take me away tomorrow evening..."
Arthur swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on him as he looked through the cold glass to see the two men finally leave. Then he frowned pensively, resting his palm on the raven's back.
"Not while I'm here," the young Pendragon spoke in a definite tone, countenance firm and eyes gleaming. "I won't let them take you anywhere."
At this, Merlin smiled sadly, turning to place a hand over his dear friend's.
~o~
And so it had come to the occasion they'd all been waiting for. The night of the Albion School Christmas play had finally arrived.
From the very beginning, the auditorium had been filled with holiday cheer, the whole room embellished with marvellous decorations. But more importantly, the children had utterly splendid in their outstanding attire, and Miss Murray had been proud to introduce each and every one of their darling faces on stage.
By that time, Morgana and the girls were almost finished captivating the audience's attention with their performance, and Arthur couldn't help but smile from the back when they'd all started clapping. In just a few minutes, it would be Merlin's turn to dazzle them with his very own.
But when the blonde turned from his position beside Gwen to search for the young raven backstage, he'd instantly gone tense when the latter was nowhere to be found. With this, Arthur quickly looked over to see his cousin start to leave the stage, and after briskly whispering to an anxious Guinevere that he'd return right away, he ran off hurriedly to search for his best friend.
And when he'd found him, the poor thing had been curled up in a small corner all the way in the back where no one could see him hiding in the shadows.
"Merlin," the blonde whispered, bending down to touch the raven's shoulder.
At that moment, Merlin sniffled, looking up to meet his apprehensive gaze with flushed, tear-stained cheeks.
Arthur stiffened where he was. "What's wrong?" he asked in a soft, concerned tone.
In response, the raven cringed, wiping one of his eyes with his wrist. "I can't do it, Arthur..." he murmured quietly, raising his head to stare ahead of the stage, where he could see an empty chair in one of the aisles.
As the young Pendragon followed the latter's stare, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain as he noticed that vacant seat just there in the middle of the auditorium. And not only that, he'd seen another next to where his mother was presently sitting.
But that didn't matter as much to him now as the policeman and caretaker standing on opposite sides near the exit into the hallway, for considering his best friend's situation at that point, he knew Merlin needed him more.
With that, the blonde sighed, sitting down beside the raven to point at the crowd. "She's still there, you know," he began, glancing briefly at the latter. "Your mum's still there watching you, even though you can't see her."
At that moment, Merlin frowned, peering into the audience ahead. "Really? Where is she?" he asked timidly, wincing at the glaring stage lights.
Arthur paused for a minute, then shifted his gaze high to the ceiling. "Up above," he replied, smiling warmly as he spoke those words. "Up above in a better place, where she can always watch you, no matter where you are." He turned to see a curious expression begin to fade onto the raven's face.
"And she'd always be proud of you either way, because you're her son, and she loves you," the young Pendragon murmured, shifting closer to his best friend. "Right now, she's probably already waiting for you to get on that stage."
There was a moment of silence.
Then Merlin looked at him with uncertain eyes, and Arthur calmly took his hand into his.
"You can do it," the blonde spoke, his gaze soft on him that instant.
~o~
For a while, the room was quiet as everyone waited for the next child—dressed as the angel Gabriel—to make his way up to the front of the stage.
But when the raven stepped forward into the dazzling light, the piano automatically started to play, and Merlin tentatively took a deep breath, closing his eyes and composing his expression as much as he could before he started singing.
"O Holy night...the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth..."
"He's shaking," Gwen whispered, staring at Arthur with a concerned face. "You've got to do something."
Arthur gulped. "But what can I do? If I get out there, Madame Nimueh will surely rip my head off where I stand."
"Sing with him," she insisted, worriedly looking back at where Merlin was standing, his voice slowly beginning to falter. Before the blonde even realised it, he was already being pushed towards the front.
Oh, all the more better, he thought to himself grimly, briefly shifting his gaze towards the menacing witch herself before taking a deep breath and stepping out onto the stage to stand beside his best friend.
Immediately, Merlin turned to stare confusedly at him, and Arthur slowly opened his mouth.
"Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth..."
In that instant, the raven's eyes widened, then watched in awe as he saw the audience get up one by one from their seats to stare beyond their shoulders. And when he'd turned around, he almost staggered back to see that all of his friends were standing close behind them, singing along in the most joyous of tones that they could possibly have managed.
"A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born
O night divine!
O night, O night divine!"
Merlin's mouth dropped in amazement by what they had done. Gradually, their voices faded off until Arthur was the only one left singing by himself.
"Chains shall He break
For the slave is our brother
And in His Name, all oppression shall cease..."
The blonde solemnly looked at the raven in encouragement, reaching over to grab his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. At this, Merlin swallowed hard, gazing intently into glimmering blue irises. Then he turned to face the crowd and closed his eyes, the words coming from his mouth like sunshine spilling into the darkest of rooms.
"Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise his holy name..."
The raven opened his eyes, tightly gripping Arthur's hand as he stepped forward to raise his voice.
"Christ is the Lord!" he sang, staring at each and every one in the audience with blazing sapphire eyes.
"Their name forever praise we
Noel, Noel
O night, O night Divine
Noel, Noel
O night, O night Divine..."
The young Pendragon watched with awe. The next few words were more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. And so, Merlin finished the song, giving everything he could to hold those last notes.
"Noel, NOEL..." the raven sang, raising his head up high. Then suddenly, all had hushed.
Merlin closed his eyes, and wrapped his warm fingers around his best friend's palm.
"O night…O night Divine…"
The piano faded into a soft decrescendo, the room going silent once more.
But when the raven looked up at the crowd, he was suddenly greeted by the loud clapping of hands and was given his own first standing ovation for the first time in his whole life, which made him smile widely, shifting his gaze to look at the blonde with warm eyes.
"Thank you," he murmured quietly.
Arthur grinned back, nodding once in reply. Then he turned to face the appraising spectators with his friend and immediately froze where he was the minute he saw his father standing beside his mother in the aisle, clapping his hands for him.
~o~
As soon as they had all been dismissed to go home that night, the blonde ran as fast as he could to earn a well-deserved hug from his mum and dad.
"That was wonderful, sweetheart," Ygraine spoke proudly, resting her chin on her son's head.
Arthur laughed, then glanced up to look straight into his father's eyes.
Uther couldn't help but smile and shrugged. "Sorry it took me so long to get here, son. There was too much traffic on the way here to your school."
The young Pendragon grinned back, lowering his gaze for a brief moment. "You mean...it wasn't that you forgot about me?" he asked in a tentative voice.
At this, Uther took him by the shoulders and gazed down at him meaningfully. "Of course not. You think I would miss the first performance of very own son?"
Arthur chuckled softly, reaching over to give his father another hug.
After a while, though, the blonde had carefully pulled back to search for his best friend in the sea of people that flooded the hall, eyes darting frantically in different directions until they finally rested just outside the door, where the raven was standing between a policeman and a figure dressed in a long, fancy coat.
In that instant, Arthur's eyes had widened. No...
For a moment, his face grew sad, and he'd turned to look away. But that was when another person had suddenly come into view, and the young Pendragon instantly whipped his head up to see none other than Dr. Gaius reasoning things out with the two other men, his hand placed firmly on Merlin's right shoulder.
And Merlin himself had just been surprised as Arthur was, as he looked up with wide eyes at the kind old man's face as he settled a discussion with the policeman and caretaker of the orphanage.
In the few minutes that passed, however, the blonde was amused to see the anxious expression on the raven's face slowly ebb into a warm, bright smile.
~o~
By the time the two men had left, and Merlin finally met Arthur's gaze, he confidently approached the blonde with Gaius following from behind.
And Arthur himself was happy to see the latter's genuinely gleeful countenance as he went on to explain the recent event in detail—how the old doctor standing right beside him...had volunteered to become his new guardian.
"Arthur—I don't have to live at the orphanage," the raven spoke, smiling at his best friend. "They said I can stay with Dr. Gaius from now on, except it won't be at the hospital anymore."
At this, the young Pendragon's eyes softened. Perhaps Gaius did take his fondness of Merlin into full consideration after all—and he knew for a fact that he'd take absolutely good care of the latter no matter what, since he'd almost been like a second father to him.
Arthur's face lit up, and he beamed back at the two of them. "That's great," he replied, eyes shimmering brightly.
The raven laughed, eagerly staring up at the old doctor, who'd only chuckled at the animated expression on the latter's face.
Then Mr. and Mrs. Pendragon came up to them cordially, standing close behind their son.
"Is he a new friend of yours, Arthur?" Uther asked curiously, glancing at Merlin with a thoughtful countenance.
In response, the blonde smiled, stepping forward to stand next to the raven.
"Yeah," he replied, glancing over at him that instant. Then he turned to face his parents promisingly. "Mum...Dad...this is Merlin," Arthur began, turning to offer the raven a warm, lasting gaze.
Merlin flushed slightly, then spoke in a soft, timid voice. "Er...hello."
Each of the blonde's parents gave an affable nod in reply. "You sang very well tonight," Ygraine added with a grin.
The raven looked away shyly. "Th-thank you."
Arthur beamed at them both, then spoke again with a hopeful edge to his tone. "Dad, I was thinking...could he possibly spend Christmas at our house this year?"
At this, Merlin stiffened, staring at him with wide eyes. "Arthur..."
But Uther chuckled lightly. "Of course he can," he replied, looking at the two of them with approval. "It's Christmas after all. The more the merrier."
The young Pendragon's eyes shimmered as they shifted back to the raven. "Well, Merlin? It's really up to you…and Gaius now, I guess. What's your decision?"
The latter pursed his lips, for a moment not knowing what to say to his best friend—since every year he'd almost spent every Christmas all by himself or with his mum...and now he was actually being given a choice—an offer he knew he would never be able to resist in a lifetime.
After a long, hard minute of thinking, he cleared his throat and looked up at him with a bright expression on his face, irises glittering like liquid sapphire.
Then Merlin took Arthur's hand, answering in the softest of tones. "Okay."
~o~
Notes from the KIT-chan~
Whew...finished just in time. Sorry if there were holes I didn't cover up enough—or if the ending was a bit rushed. I was literally pressed for time throughout this week, but I hope this turned out well and that you all enjoyed it anyway. XD
Happy holidays, everyone, and remember to stay tuned for Part 2 of the Season 4 finale~! :D
.::.*~Kit Shadow~*.::.