'Ello people's of the galaxy! I'm so glad you took the time to read this, and I give my thanks to you all. I also gift you with a virtual cookie (whatever kind you want)!
This fic will eventually have two parts, possibly three. This is the first one, obviously :p I hope you read them all and enjoy.
Please review - pretty please with a cherry on top, sprinkles, and oreo's on the side! I love hearing what people have to say, and constructive criticism is always welcome. It gives me a chance to improve my writing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin - If I did, there would be a season six! :(
Anyways, enough of my rambling! I hope you like what I have written! See you later!
Merlin had been in a fairly good mood that morning. How could he not be in a good mood?
There had been no magical threat toward Camelot in some time. Morgana hadn't been seen or heard of in months and things were calm and peaceful for a change. Merlin was surprised with the lack of monsters or evil kings with a grudge who wanted Arthur dead. The warlock felt as though he was receiving a well earned break. Not only that, but it had been nearly three months since Arthur found out about his magic. Three months since being accepted. Although, magic was still outlawed, because there was only so much the king could do without causing an uproar, things were better. Not only for him, but for all other people who possessed magical ability. So he was happy. Happier than he had been in a long while.
He remained happy even when the day began with Arthur towering over him. The light coming in from his window softly touched the kings skin, making him glow. On any other occasion, the scene would have been god-like, perfect, a moment that deserved a painting in its honor. However, on this occasion, it only made the blonde, muscular man, look even more frightening to his servant. Even if Merlin could take down the king in less than one blow, Arthur's wraith was something he did not enjoy in the mornings.
"Get up, idiot!" Arthur said, "I know you have a record for being late, but this, Merlin, is pathetic! I was suppose to be woken up two hours ago!"
"Prat!" Merlin shot back from underneath his blankets.
"I'm the king, Merlin. How many times must I remind you?" Arthur sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He shouldn't have to deal with his bumbling servant when he had other things to do. More important things to do. It wasn't his job to wake Merlin up in the mornings. In fact, it was suppose to be the other way around.
"Sorry," Merlin apologized while lifting himself up, "I just can't seem to ever remember that you're not only a prat, but a royal one too. It's probably due to the fact that you act like a cabbage-head most of the time!"
"Shut up, Merlin! I want you in my chambers in twenty minutes!" Arthur said before leaving the small room in a fit. Merlin simply shook his head.
[~_~]BREAK[~_~]
Merlin's morning continued as he walked out of the physician chambers. With a slice of warm bread placed firmly between his teeth, the warlock finished tying his neckerchief as he walked down the corridors of the castle.
It was a sunny day. One that heated up the rooms and left the courtyard burning. Many people wore their sleeves rolled up and many of the maidservants left their hair tied in buns or braided down their backs. Merlin, himself, left his usual brown jacket laying on his bed. His blue tunic was thin, but due to the heat, he too, pushed the long, baggy sleeves of it up to his elbows. However, even in this temperature, the cloth around Merlin's neck stayed.
Gwaine passed him as he was walking to the kitchens to fetch Arthur's breakfast. The dark haired knight was in his chain-mail and looked as if he were boiling. Merlin thought the only reason the man had a smile on his face was because he was eating an apple.
"Merlin, my friend, how would you like to join me in the tavern later?" Gwaine asked before taking another bite of the red fruit in his hand.
"Not today, Gwaine." Merlin answered immediately. He knew how Gwaine's tavern adventures normally panned out. Even if the warlock never actually drank anything, he knew he would end up being responsible for any mess that his friend would possibly cause.
"No? Have it your way, more tankards for me, I suppose!" Gwaine said with a grin.
"Don't get into too much trouble, now. Remember what happened last time. I would really prefer to polish only Arthur's boots, if you don't mind." Merlin chuckled. Gwaine joined in to the laughter before they both began walking away.
The knight stopped suddenly.
"Speaking of Arthur, do you think you could ask him something for us?" The older man asked.
Merlin turned around to face him again.
"First of all - who is us? And why can't you ask him yourself?" Merlin questioned with a raised eyebrow. Gwaine had to tuck his comment away about how Merlin had been spending too much time with Gaius.
"Us, being Leon, Percy, and Elyan. The reason we want you to ask is that he is more likely to say yes to his younger brother instead of his of his older ones." Gwaine said with a smirk.
"Brothers?" Merlin looked at the knight with a bit of concern, "have you already been to the tavern today?"
"No. Well, yes - but that isn't the point! It was just an idea that came to me a while back. The knights of the round-table, Arthur, and you - we're like brothers. One, small, messed up family, we are!" Gwaine told the warlock.
"Right..." Merlin drawled, then continued, "so, what is this question?"
"We were wondering if we could put off training today. The heat is killing us just walking around in this," Gwaine gestured to his attire. The chain-mail looked like it would burn someones skin if it came in contact.
"Alright, I'll ask. I was just getting his breakfast... His breakfast! I'm going to be late! Again!" Merlin realized and took off running. Gwaine shrugged and then smiled at his apple before taking another bite.
[~_~]BREAK[~_~]
Merlin ran into the kings chambers, almost tripping on his own feet and dropping the platter of food he was carrying onto the floor. Gwen was standing by the window gazing down at the courtyard. Her hair was braided, and the lovely blue gown she was wearing was thin. If it weren't for the gold trim on the dress, or the expensive earrings, Guinevere could have passed as a servant again.
She turned around when Merlin came barging in.
"Hello, Merlin!" She said with a gentle smile.
"Good morning, Gwe-um-your highness." Merlin responded.
"Oh, stop it, Merlin, you know how much I hate the formalities. When we're alone or with friends, you can just call me Gwen." She said as she moved over to the table next to the raven haired servant.
"Sorry, its just, you are the queen now..." The warlock said while placing the food onto the table.
"I may be queen but that doesn't mean we can no longer be friends. In fact, I consider you my best friend, Merlin, and nothing will ever change that." Guinevere told him honestly.
"And you are mine," Merlin grinned, and he continued grinning at his friend until being suddenly struck on the back head.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" He asked and then rubbed his head where he had just been smacked by a gloved hand.
"That, Merlin, was for being late. Again. By fifteen minutes, might I add!" Arthur said heatedly, although there was no real anger or malice in his tone of voice.
"Sorry, sire. I wouldn't have been late if one of your knights hadn't stopped me to - uh - ask me to ask you a question!" Merlin defended himself as he made his way over to the window.
Arthur gave Gwen a peck on the cheek before seating himself at the table.
"Which knight, and what sort of question?" The king asked before biting a sausage off of the silver fork in his hand.
"Gwaine -" Merlin began.
"Gwaine?" Arthur interrupted, "this should be good!"
"As I was saying - Gwaine wanted me to ask you, not only for himself but for all the knights, if you could put off training." The servant finally told him.
"Why didn't they ask me themselves?" The blonde asked.
"Something about brothers." Mumbled Merlin, and Gwen looked at him curiously.
"Brothers? Whatever do you mean by that?" Gwen inquired.
"Oh, nothing." Merlin responded, barely paying attention. His gaze was upon the court yard, in which, he saw Gaius slowly and tiredly walking towards the physicians chambers. His eyes were red-rimmed and were a clear sign that he had been crying. 'Why would Gaius cry?' Merlin wondered.
"Would you mind if I quickly went to see Gaius. He looks troubled..." Merlin abruptly asked the royals.
"Of course," Gwen said hastily before Arthur could intervene. She could see the worry in Merlin's eyes. The king let out an exasperated sigh.
"I'm sure I can handle another half an hour without your pathetic retorts. Go along. I think I will put off training today, anyway, so you won't be required to help with that." Arthur finally added, he too, noticing the troubled looks that Merlin was casting out the window.
"Thanks." Merlin said to the both of them before exiting the large chambers.
[~_~]BREAK[~_~]
Merlin sprinted down the hallways and ignored the odd looks he was receiving from servants and nobles alike. There was something wrong with Gaius, he could see it, and truth be told, the warlock was worried for his guardian. The court physician had become Merlin's father figure, his guide, his teacher, and helped keep him standing when he felt as though his legs couldn't take the weight of his destiny anymore.
When he reached the herb scented chambers, Gaius was sitting at his desk. The wooden surface was piled high with books and Merlin could only see a bit of white hair behind them notifying him that the elderly man was actually there.
"Gaius? Are you alright?" Merlin asked with concern masking his tone.
Gaius stood shakily and walked around the desk with a tiring sigh. He looked weary and ten times older than he was a mere hour earlier.
"I'm sorry, m'boy... I just received a letter from Ealdor..." The physician said hesitantly.
"What do you mean? Is my mother in trouble? What's going on, Gaius?" The raven haired boy questioned frantically, worry for his mother taking over his senses.
"Here..." Gaius shakily held out the letter and Merlin grabbed it with a spark of fear appearing in the pit of his stomach. The warlock unfolded the worn paper and ran his eyes over the black ink.
Dear, Merlin and Gaius.
I am terribly sorry to be the barer of such bad news. However, you must know.
Hunith has passed away... She was ill, fighting a fever, and didn't have the strength to last through the night.
I was with her as she drew her last breaths, and she wanted me to tell you she loved you both. Gaius, you were her older brother, her friend, her support, there is, truly, nothing more to be said.
Merlin... You were her treasure and she loved you more than anything. She asked me to make sure you knew how proud she was of you and that she didn't want you to blame yourself. She knew you all too well...
The funeral was lovely. She's buried nearby the creek you and William use to play nearby when you were young boys. It's a beautiful spot, and I know she would love the flowers that are growing there.
I hope you visit soon. I will keep tending to the house until you decide on what you wish to have done with it. I'm so sorry for your loss. May the gods protect you.
With love, Marie.
The letter slipped from Merlin's grasp, drifting slowly to the ground like a leaf in the fall season. His eyes watered as tears threatened to pool over and run down his cheeks. He crumpled onto the floor, his body falling into a state of shock, not listening to anything around him.
"Merlin?!" Gaius knelt and cupped his surrogate son's face within his wrinkled hands, "Merlin, I'm sorry my boy, but you must snap out of it."
However nothing the physician did would bring the warlock back into reality. The young man actually seemed to get worse and started shaking. So, Gaius decided it was time to take drastic measures. He grabbed the letter off the floor, so carefully you would have though the parchment was a prized artifact, and then he made his way out the door. Even with his old bones creaking in protest, Gaius' pace was quick as he headed toward the kings chambers.
Although the two were very unlikely to admit it, everyone knew that Arthur and Merlin were best friends. In fact, there were times in which they were no longer friends, let alone master and servant. No, in those moments, they were brothers, and it was clear for everyone to see. The more Gaius thought about it, it wasn't just Arthur either, but also all of the round-table knights as well as Guinevere. They were one big family of brothers and a sister, united together through a bond almost deeper than blood. The chain that wrapped itself around the connection they called friendship, was practically unbreakable. It was this knowledge that lead Gaius to believe, that although Merlin had just lost his mother, he still had a family. More of a family, in fact, than friends.
The physician knocked politely on the door, unlike his ward would do, and entered when a voice called from inside, beckoning him to enter. Arthur was sitting at the table with an empty silver plate in front of him, while Gwen was moving flowers around within a vase trying to make them look better.
"Gaius? Did Merlin catch you? That idiot left looking quite concerned for your well-being. I hope it wasn't another excuse to slack off again." Arthur said while pushing the wooden chair back and lifting himself into a standing position.
"Of course it wasn't an excuse. Merlin look genuinely worried." Gwen defended her friend, then added as an afterthought, "speaking of which, are you alright, Gaius?"
"I'm afraid it is not I we should be worried about..." Gaius told them with a sad edge to his voice.
"Whatever do you mean?" Arthur asked.
"It's Merlin, sire. I received this letter this morning after he left to tend to you. I was distraught to say the least, but when Merlin read it, he couldn't take the shock." Gaius explained while handing them the paper which was, once again, folded.
Gwen took it first, opening it and reading over the terrible words. She placed a hand over her mouth and gasped before a few tears slipped down her cheeks. Arthur was truly concerned now.
"No, not her... Anyone but her..." Gwen whispered disbelievingly.
"What's happened?" The king questioned. His wife handed the letter to him so he could see for himself, and shortly after, he was denying just as much as Guinevere had been.
Gwen couldn't believe it. Hunith, the woman who was so kind and generous as to give her a place to live and food to eat, was dead. They had become good friends in the period of time that she had been banished, and had come to love Hunith in a similar way to how she loved her own mother, long ago.
Arthur was drenched in a kind of sadness that he didn't believe he had ever felt before. Hunith had become the closest thing he ever had to a mother. The woman had gotten close to all of them, especially after they found out about Merlin's magic. She came to Camelot to introduce herself to the group of friends who accepted her son, and in that time, became a type of mother figure to all of them.
[~_~]BREAK[~_~]
Two months ago...
The round-table knights were gathered in the council chambers with Gaius and Gwen awaiting the arrival of someone they had all been dying to meet.
Arthur and Merlin had left Camelot four days prior to get the warlocks mother and bring her back with them. Gwaine practically begged that Merlin introduce her to all of them, and finally, at the last minute, the raven haired man complied by saying he would try and convince his mother to return with them. The whole point of the trip was to simply tell Hunith about the acceptance of Merlin's magic, but Gwen wanted to see her again terribly, Gaius hadn't talked to his sister in person for what seemed like ages, and none of the knights had ever actually met the woman. So bringing her to Camelot was almost a requirement, in a way.
The men, all dressed in their chain-mail, were chatting when a sudden, joyful shriek made them turn around. Gwen, forgetting all mannerism that came with being queen, ran into the open arms of a woman standing in the entrance of the room. Merlin and Arthur were behind them, smiling like maniacs, and the knights knew that it must have meant the kind woman being embraced by Guinevere, was, in fact, the wonderful Hunith.
"Hunith," Gwen said while keeping her arms wrapped securely around the woman's small frame, "I have missed you so much!"
"I have missed you to, my dear... Oh, and your queen now," Hunith told Guinevere while pulling back to get a good look at her, "Merlin told me, but I hardly believed it. You're lovely!"
Gwen smiled and gave her thanks for the compliment. Then Gaius stepped forward and was the next one to pull Hunith into a hug.
"It's been far too long! I have missed you during these many years." The physician said fondly.
"It has, I wish I had the time to visit you and Merlin more often," the country woman agreed before whispering in his ear, "thank you for taking care of my boy."
Gaius gave her a smile and was about to respond before he was interrupted by a certain, wavy, dark haired knight walking up and giving Hunith one of his signature grins.
"It's a pleasure to meet the mother of my best friend, at last." Gwaine said and everyone in the room was taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. It was so unlike him.
"I assure you, the pleasure is all mine, Sir Gwaine. I've been waiting a long while to finally meet Merlin's friends, and to know you've accepted him... It means the world." She told him, but Merlin knew that what she said was directed towards everyone in the room.
"How did you know my name? You don't have magic as well, do you?" Gwaine asked with a raised eyebrow.
Hunith let out an actual laugh. A sweet, loving laugh that seemed to put a smile on everyone's faces.
"No, I only know because Merlin has sent many letters telling me about all of you, and I knew who you were immediately." She admitted.
"Oh really? How?" Gwaine questioned with a look of amusement on his face.
Hunith leaned in and whispered loudly, "you smell like the inside of a tavern."
Everyone in the room burst out laughing, Gwaine included.
"How do you know what a tavern smells like?" Merlin asked suddenly, with a smile on his face that Hunith hadn't seen from him in a long time.
"I have been around a bit myself, Merlin! I haven't always been a peaceful farming woman. We were all teenagers once upon a time." She said.
"Merlin, mate, I love your mother already!" Gwaine announced.
She was there for an entire week, allowing the knights to show her many different areas in Camelot, helping Gaius, and spending time with her son. Many days they all dragged her to the training grounds so she could watch them practice. Hunith was practically a mother hen when Percival sprained his wrist. She fussed over him for hours and the giant teddy bear didn't have the courage to deny her help. It was one hell of a sight - watching the tiny woman tending to the tall, muscle of a man.
Elyan and Gwen, on her third day at Camelot, went with her to pick berries and herbs in the forest. It was the first time in a long time the two siblings knew what it felt like to have a mother again.
Leon was the one to show her around the castle, and during so, she allowed him to relax and was able to see the childish side to the knight.
There was also many times during her stay when Gwen took her to the market. They purchased various different fabrics for Hunith to bring home to Ealdor. The queen even offered to make dresses for the little girls of the village.
Gwaine would simply sit with the warlocks mother in the physicians chambers or out in the courtyard and tell her his many stories - mostly tavern related. Everyone was awestruck at how she just listened to him go on and on. Arthur was starting to wonder if the woman simply tuned him out. If that were the case, he knew that he definitely need her to teach him how.
At dinner time, they all sat together, the king urging her to tell stories of Merlin's embarrassing childhood. The tales caused many laughs and a lot of blushing coming from Merlin's direction.
Arthur got to spend most of his time with Hunith during her fifth day there. He and the knights had been out on patrol and bandits attacked, one of them shooting him in the leg with an arrow. After being confined to his bed, Hunith decided to visit him. She talked to him for a good two hours before he shut his eyes and let his head loll to the side. Thinking he was asleep, she brushed his blonde hair off his forehead before lightly kissing it. Arthur, actually being aware of his surroundings, was immediately filled with happiness. Because he felt warm, and loved... A different love than what he and Gwen shared, or the brotherly love he felt for Merlin. That was when the king realized what he was feeling, was a mothers love for her child. It was a love he had never felt before, which made it even more amazing. Hunith left the room truly thinking he was no longer awake.
Hunith did love all of them - none so much as Merlin - like they were her children. Everyone of them would agree that they loved her back just as much, if not more.
[~_~]BREAK[~_~]
Now she was gone, Arthur realized. The closest thing he ever had to a mother was now gone. He felt broken in a way, and sad that he would never see the kind woman again. Thinking about it made him wonder just how badly Merlin was feeling.
Gwen was the first to ask what was both on their minds.
"How's Merlin?"
Gaius seemed to look even more distraught after the question, if that was even possible.
"He collapsed in my chambers from the shock. He's in a trance of sorts, and that's why I came to you, hoping you could pull him out of it. However, I've never seen a case of shock this terrible before..." The physician informed them before adding quietly to himself, "he has lost so much..."
"Gwen and I can go to him. Perhaps it would help if you get the knights to come see him as well?" Arthur suggested.
Gaius gave the smallest of smiles, "I'm sure that would be a good idea. It will be better for Merlin to be surrounded by family, and all of you are his family."
Before the king could question what Gaius meant by that, the old mans weary muscles were already carrying him down the corridor to find the knights of the round-table. So Arthur took his wife's hand and headed out of his chambers and in the opposite direction.
When they reached the location of their friend, Gwen broke at the sight they were met with. Merlin was on his knees, shaking like a leaf, as tears steadily ran down his cheeks.
Merlin was, indeed, lost. Who wouldn't be, after losing so much? So many?