Author's Note: Hey guys! I know it might look different to how you last saw things on this story, but I've properly updated it through Ao3, so I'm making the changes on here, as I felt something was missing, so he we go! No more modifications - other than new chapters added on - after this. Enjoy!

May

The evening sun was saying goodnight on Eadlor, as Merlin walked through the door that Wednesday night. It was mid-May and the young man had just returned home from Scouts, which he had been attending for a few years here in Ealdor. Every Wednesday, he and Will - Merlin's best friend - would arrive home from college and complete part of their college assignments, have a bite to eat and get changed into their scout uniform. As they were senior scouts - due to their age - , their uniform was slightly different to others, which for Merlin, this was his final year as a scout, before coming an Explorer in January, following his 18th birthday.

Most nights Merlin would walk in with a goofy grin on his face, be welcomed home with a mug of hot cocoa, and Hunith would listen away to the adventures and activities that would take place during the hour and a half she recieved some quiet time. Sometimes Merlin would come home with a new badge to add to his collection (his collection of badges over the past few years was near reaching thirty-three badges, and his blanket almost full), or a letter for some trip or exhibition. This night was different though- well partially different.

Merlin walked through the door around 9:20pm, as the walk from the local church hall in the village was only a 10 minute stroll, and it was summer, so it was easy to make his way home without anyone attacking him; even if there were attackers, he'd still knock them out with less than a blow, well, just about anyway. Merlin sometimes would arrive earlier, but during the last few weeks, he'd spend a few minutes chatting with Will at the foot of his house first, as Will's house was closer than Merlin's.

"Mom? Can you get some cotton and a needle please?" Merlin asked as he launched himself up the stairs to fetch his blanket, soon returning with the fleecy, bottle green throw.

"Of course my petal. Another badge then?" Merlin returned from the kitchen with the hot cocoa, placing two mugs onto the coffee table. She went over to the cupboard above the sink in the kitchen and reached out her sewing box. Closing the door, she eased herself onto the sofa, her aching joints not giving her an easy time, handing the box to Merlin, who was in the armchair, bottle green blanket resting on his thighs.

"So which badge have you been awarded then? I have my list upstairs. Let me know and then I can cross it off, and we'll see which one you could try out next."

Okay, so the arriving home with a badge wasn't the least different, but the reaction that Merlin gave afterwards, was much different to the usual response. "I don't see the point to be fair, oh and I was awarded the Global Conservation Activity Badge." Merlin continued the conversation, not bothering to aim a glance at his mother, aiming his pupil on trying to hook the eye of the needle through the cotton. Once the simpler of the two tasks were accomplished, Merlin would begin sewing the badge on his blanket, as many did do this to avoid misplacing them, the new inductee being sewn next to his Heritage Activity Badge.

"It's not like you to say something so unpeculiar. You're usually the one who'd beg me to search for the list in order to achieve the next one."

"Yeah well, us young men never keep to our statements do we." As much as the sentence sounded as if it were to be a question, the initial goal was to make it sound a statement. Hunith sighed as her son jabbed himself time and time again with the needle, a little spot of blood emerging from the broken skin on his forefinger.

"Something's happened hasn't it?" Hunith shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, trying to gain the right spot to sink into, and to get Merlin to open up. Panic and concern were not two things that Merlin handled well.

"Shit! Bloody needle!" Merlin cursed, dropped the needle with cotton reel and blanket, all tangled together, and began to pace back and forth across the front room, before turning on heel to the kitchen in search of a plaster. Merlin had only gone and stabbed himself with the needle for the umpteenth time, which the scratch was soon oozing with droplets of blood, now needing more than one plaster.

"Where's the plaster box mom?"

"Kitchen, above the kettle." Merlin stumbled into the kitchen, hissing at the pain of the cuts, and applied two plasters to the open wounds. Allowing the plaster box to be returned back in it's home, Merlin closed the kitchen door, and stopped back at his original place, directly in front of the television, behind the sofa. Calming down, Merlin read the first of his troubles off the never-ending list.

"Tonight was my last night at Scouts. I weren't expecting to recieve my badge until the end of the term, but because of the lack of members, tonight was closing time. We only found out this evening, which came as a shock to some, but others could see it coming. I'd of wished to complete the year off before transferring onto becoming an Explorer, if there is a group for that division nearby."

Hunith propped her mug back on the table and went to hug her child, who always accepted her hugs. With his dad away, and not knowing when he'd be returning, as well as his magic degrading and not knowing the cure, plus his college exams on top, this was the least Merlin should be worrying about. "Son, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. Tom recommended me to join the scouts in Camelot, as they are taking on members from our unit. He's referred me to their leader", pronoucing the final few years in sci-fi type, as if he were to be escorted to an alien species, "and will be dropping the details over on Friday at the latest."

"So all is good then?"

"Not if meetings are on Tuesday's it isn't. By the time I get back from college, I wouldn't be in the house for twenty minutes and I'd be back out." To be honest, Merlin wasn't even sure if trying out for a new division was a good idea. It took the man long enough to settle in the Ealdor division, coming to Britain four years ago, having been in his original division for eight years, and leaving his old friends behind was always going to be hard.

"Oh well, I can tell you're tired, and you've got college tomorrow young man. I'll finish off sewing your badge onto your blanket and bring it up once I've casted the stiches off. Now drink up as your cocoa will be stone cold by the time you lay your hands on it, and off you go to bed. I'll bring you a glass of water should you need a drink during the night."

"Thank you mom."

"Now go."

Merlin gave his mum another hug, and cautiously climbed the stairs, trying not to spill any cocoa, as the mug was still full to the rim, and Merlin was quite clumsy. Hunith continued working on the blanket and Merlin got prepared for settling down for the night.

Thursday afternoon passed quickly and soon rolled into Friday. Catching the bus back from college, Merlin arrived through the door at around five. Hunith was sitting on the sofa watching some TV quiz show to allow time to pass by.

"Hey mom."

"Afternoon son. You've got some mail and dad sends his love."

Merlin hadn't heard from his father in months, so whenever any fresh gossip came about, it always filled Merlin's heart with joy, as he adored his father as much his mother. "We had a letter from dad?"

"Yes. He's sent one to me and mentioned that he's sent a personal one to you, and told me to send his love to you through mine. Thankfully both came today, and your other mail is from Tom. He dropped by earlier this afternoon, just after lunch I recall. Nice chap he is. You're not the only one who's transferring so to speak."

Merlin collected the two letters addressed to him off the coffee table, and sat on the few bottom steps, opening the first letter, the one from Tom. "What do you mean dropped by exactly? I know you when it comes to these situations."

"Well, I inisted Tom to come in for a cup of coffee..."

"Mom!" Merlin whined, knowing the previous scenarios of his mother and cups of coffee.

"Hush a minute! Let me finish and then I'll let you have your turn to moan and whinge at me as much as you like. Tom was saying that the Girl Guides and Senior Section from Eadlor have also finished, as they can't afford the council rates. Tom's daughter Gwen was a member of the unit, as was Elena, our next door neighbour and family friend, so he's transferring the girls over to Camelot's unit."

"Sounds interesting..." Merlin sarcastically replied, clearly having no care whatsoever, even if he were friends with Gwen at college. Right now he was more focused on knowing the details from Tom and news from his dad Balinor.

"Ah, well, it isn't too bad then." Merlin mumbled to one's self.

"What isn't?"

"Scouts at Camelot. They host their meetings on Monday's from seven until half-past-eight, which means if I'm lucky, I'll be able to return here for just after 9:15. I've never done the walk from here to Camelot, and it's a good twenty minutes or so on the bus. Also, Tuesday mornings I get a lie in anyway, to my advantage."

"Yes, okay you've never done the walk there, but do remember the no.22 goes everywhere around Ealdor and Hammersham before getting into Camelot, and then there are all the kids getting on the bus, so maybe the walk is quicker."

"Hmm, you have a fair point there."

"So, will you join?"

"Of course. Might as well finish off what I started, even if the rest of the unit could be asses. If Will accepts then I'll certainly most transfer."

"And if he don't?"

"Well, a little convicing will work. Trust me on this mom."

"Oh fair enough then, but even if he don't join, you'll likely find someone that you'll get along with. Who knows, you might even find someone."

"Mom! I don't even think I'm ready to find love!"

"Right, tea is almost done so I'll start putting the dinner out and leave you in peace with your messages." Hunith switched the TV off. Clearly the game show was bland. Wait until some helpless mother will rant about it in next week's TV guide, it'll be there, you mark my words.

"What are we having?" Merlin called, still focused on the package.

"Brocoli, Potato and Leek soup. Would be half decent food but I've yet had the chance to get to the shops. That's what happens when a mother has to work."

"Sure..." Merlin ghosted his reply, pitch and dynamics in his tone reducing to a great deal, as his eyes danced over the words from his father.