When Arthur was still just a little princeling, on his ninth birthday his father the king gave him a beautiful falcon. The little prince was very fond of the bird. Everyday he would learn his studies and practice his swordplay and archery quickly so that he could have as much time as possible to spend in the tower where the beautiful falcon was kept. Perry was the keeper of the tower and also the trainer and caretakers of all the king's birds. He taught Arthur how to care for the bird and soon in turn the bird grew accustomed to Arthur.

One day Perry took Arthur out with him along with the bird so that they could hack it. The falcon sat perched on the boy prince's padded arm. Perry undid the falcon's jesses and the Tiercel took off flying high into the air. It flew around and round and Arthur gazed at it with wonder for he had never seen such thing as graceful as this bird. Soon Perry called to Arthur to hold out his arm so that the falcon may come back. So engrossed in his wonder of the bird the boy prince could not move and the falcon tasting the wild for too long shed all memory of being tamed and flew off into the heart of the forest. Arthur became sorrowful at the loss and his young heart grieved deeply for the lost bird. Perry, fearful of king's wrath being directed at him, for it was his duty to keep the birds, begged Arthur not to reveal what had transpired.

That evening the king wanting to know how Arthur was doing with the bird asked if he would bring the falcon with him when they rode the next day. Arthur agreed to it but in his mind despaired for he had no bird! He went to Perry who was locking up the mews where all the hawks were kept and asked him what to do.

"My young prince, it was under my care and watch that the beautiful falcon was lost. tomorrow before you go riding with your father, the king, I shall go up to him and bow and then confess my sins; One for losing his precious bird, second for keeping the truth from him." said Perry solemnly for though Perry was fearful of the king's wrath, he was an honest man.

"No." replied Arthur. Though Perry was a good and honest man still had wronged the king and Arthur knew his father. He was a good ruler but slow to forgive. "You will surely be punished, please do not do this."

"I'm sorry Prince Arthur. I must confess for if I do not, you shall be blamed for the falcon. And even so, my heart would burst from guilt if I keep this to myself."

That night as the castle went to sleep Arthur tossed and turned from side to side in his bed. At last he could stand it no longer and threw the sheets off him. The quiet prince stole out of his chamber and past the guards until he was out of the castle walls. From then he ran right up to the edge of the forest, there he pulled on his boots and fastened his cloak around his neck and dove into the trees. For hours it seemed he wandered between the tall trunks of the trees. There was light enough from the moon for him to get by. Then the trees grew closer together, the underbrush less willing to relinquish their grip of the prince's cloak and the moonlight became dimmer. When Arthur could push no further he knew he must be in the heart of the forest and he knew this was where his beloved falcon had flown off to.

There was a shriek that came from above him and behind him. He turned and bathed in a beam of silver light was a bird. It was not his falcon. It was smaller, thinner, younger. It had darker feathers on its crown and the feathers on its breast were redder. It was a majestic bird in its own right and quite beautiful even compared to the falcon. Arthur approached the other bird slowly. It looked at him curiously with wide eyes. Then it spoke. Or the prince thought it did. It did not open its mouth but Arthur heard a voice.

"What's someone like you doing in the middle of this forest?" it asked.

"I'm looking for my falcon." replied Arthur. "During the day it flew off into the heart of this forest because I was careless. Now my father the king wants to see the bird tomorrow when we go riding."

"You won't find it in the dark and even if you did it wouldn't come back with you. It was tamed but once it has tasted freedom and the scent of the wind it cannot live with man anymore."

"Isn't there anything I could do?" asked Arthur.

"No. For such is the way things are." answered the bird gravely.

"Oh! Oh! What shall I do!" despaired Arthur for he was a young boy still and such matters troubled him greatly then.

The bird considered him for a moment then spoke once more. "I could come with you. I can be your falcon and though I am not as big or as beautiful as your own falcon."

"You would! Oh I would love you and be forever grateful if you did. And you are just as beautiful as any falcon!" cried out Arthur. The bird looked pleased. "Still, we have to get out of this forest first and back to Camelot or else there would be no point in any of this."

"That is not a problem. Not for me at the least." said the bird proudly and with a couple of flaps took off in a certain direction. Arthur ran after it and very soon it seemed the forest and was behind them and the castle before. "I shall wait in the tower where all the other birds are kept and in the morning you can come fetch me."

Arthur crept as silently as he could back to his chambers. He stuffed his dirty boots in the back of his wardrobe and tucked his ragged cloak underneath his mattress then crawled underneath his sheets and slept. The sun shone bright the next morning and the prince got up grumpily. He went to the tower with his father and Perry was there.

"Fetch the bird." commanded the king. Perry trembled but Arthur shushed him and told him to do as he was told. To Perry's surprise he found a very pretty bird in the mew where the falcon was kept. "Excellent, bring it down and we will meet you by the horses." said the king.

"What is the meaning of this, young prince?" whispered Perry to Arthur.

"I do not know for certain myself." answered Arthur truthfully. He took the bird with him and for the morning he, the bird and the king rode and enjoyed each other's company.

"Arthur you have trained a truly delightful bird." commented his father when they had finished their ride. The bird ruffled its feathers with pride. "I'm proud of what you've accomplished my son."

For awhile longer even after the king had retired to his office, Arthur lingered with the bird. Then when the day was nearly done it spoke again.

"Arthur, it has been a pleasure being with you. Truly, but I must go home now." The young prince's heart dropped.

"Must you go so soon?" he asked. "Could you not stay longer?"

"I would but my mother is worried about me." replied the bird.

"Oh, well I suppose my father would be worried about me too if I were gone a whole day." said Arthur. "But before you go, please tell me your name. I wish to thank you properly."

"My name is Merlin." replied Merlin.

"Merlin, I thank you with all my heart for helping me and I hope you have safe travels back to your home. I hope we meet again."

"It was all my pleasure. And I'm sure the winds will take me back here someday."

"Goodbye Merlin."

"See you again Arthur."

And then he flew away.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.
I tried to write this story a bit like a fairy tale. So I hope it turned out alright.