This story has been floating around in the back of my mind for the past few weeks, so I've decided to go ahead and post the first chapter. For anyone who reads this who is currently following my other full length fic, 'An Exchange of Souls', I promise I am still working away at it. This story is being posted now because, as I said, it's been sitting in my head for a while now and I really want to get the first bit of it up (I'll try to finish up with AEoS before I post any more of this one, but we'll see where the writing muse takes me).

So, 'Broken Promises' is going to be written a bit differently than my other fic. The events that are described are not all in order. The present day timelines are on slightly different tracks. They will catch up to each other at some point and even out from thereon in.

Any section that is written entirely in italics is a flashback. These also will not necessarily be in order, but I will try to make it obvious as to when it is that they take place. Otherwise, a single word or phrase written in italics is simply to emphasize said word/phrase, or is a character's thought.

If at any point something does not make sense, with the events not all being in order, just leave me a review with your question or PM me and I'll leave an author's note to clarify.

Now, I'll let you get on to the story. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

Chapter 1

There's nothing like being a carefree kid, running around barefoot in the grass under the warm summer sunshine. It's the best feeling in the world, one of complete and utter freedom.

Shrill giggles pierce the air as they run around, playing tag for now before it morphs into some wildly creative game of adventure, of travelling the world and meeting fearsome creatures, of being heroes. The black haired boy is trying desperately to catch one of his friends, but somehow they are too quick for him today. The sandy haired boy teases him about how slow he is, reigniting the other's spirit and he takes off chasing him around the field, both of them laughing all the while.

The two girls look at each other and grin. Looks like they don't have to worry about being tagged for a while, not while the boys are horsing around. They flop down on the soft grass, rolling onto their backs and chatting, pointing out shapes and patterns in the clouds. A dragon, an ice cream cone, a castle. How neat would it be to live in a castle? Lost in their conversation, the girls don't notice the sandy haired boy creeping up on them with a bucket of water.

Not until it's too late, at least, when the contents have been unceremoniously dumped on them, soaking them. With an infuriated screech, the girl with long dark hair and pale skin , Morgana, jumps to her feet. "Arthur! I'm going to kill you!"

The second girl, the one with curly hair and caramel coloured skin, Gwen, adds, "And I'm going to help her!"

"Uh, oh. RUN Merlin, RUN!" And the two boys take off, the girls in hot pursuit, all irritation seemingly forgotten as their laughter rings out loud.

Merlin is the slower of the two, so Gwen and Morgana tackle him to the ground first. Gwen holds him down while Morgana tickles him. The raven haired boy howls with laughter and wriggles around, trying desperately to break free. "Arthur!" he gasps out between laughs. "Arthur, they got me! Ha ha, help!"

The blond boy whips around, hearing his friend in peril, and races back over, a huge grin plastered on his face. "No! Don't worry Merlin, I'll save you!" And he joins in the fray.

While he's trying to free his friend, Morgana gives him a wicked grin. "Coming back wasn't a good idea, you know." And she lets go of Merlin to jump on Arthur, knocking him over and pinning his arms behind his back. "Do you surrender? Do you?" She laughs out loud at his muffled response of 'Never'. "Fine, then. I'll just sit on you until you do!" She does just that, effectively preventing the boy from getting up. Gwen has released Merlin, as the antics between the two other children are far more amusing to watch.

"Oi! Gerroff! Gerroff Morgana! MERLIN! Little help here?"

Merlin starts forward, but Morgana halts him with a look. "Don't you dare. Not until he surrenders. He's the one who started this all, by dumping WATER on us!"

"Fine, fine! I surrender! Happy?"

Morgana says nothing, simply stands and shoots him her sweetest smile. "Good. That's what you get for messing with us, right Gwen?" The girls high five and whoop. Merlin shrugs at his friend's irritated look, and grins. He may be the slower of the two, but he is the smarter. He knows when to stop pushing the girls' buttons... usually, anyways. Arthur, on the other hand. Well, Arthur has a face full of grass and dirt right now as punishment.

The four friends lay down on the ground, quiet after all of that. They need a quick breather before they return to playing. Merlin gives them one of his lopsided grins. "Let's promise to always stay friends, okay? To always be like this."

Morgana is the first to reply to him. "Okay. I promise."

She awakes with a start. Had she just spoken out loud in her sleep? Okay. I promise.

Sitting up, Morgana le Faye shakes her head. Her heart is pounding. The dream, no, memory, comes flooding back vividly. It sends a pang through her heart to think about it. It's been appearing in her dreams repeatedly over the past few weeks, and every time after she awakes she feels guiltier and guiltier. Because she knows she broke her promise, hurt her friends.

Not that she ever meant to. She just couldn't deal with the revelations about her family, the lies that had been fed to her for years. She couldn't stay at home and pretend it didn't happen. Like she was living some fairy tale life, being the daughter of a rich and successful business man, going to a fancy school to help further along her family's name in the industry. That's no life for her. Just a fake shell of what she wants.

Briefly she thinks of Arthur and wonders if he has been brave enough to stand up to his father and follow his own dreams. Truly, she hopes that he has.

And Merlin and Gwen... What are they up to now? It would have been so easy to stay in contact, but she knows that they would have made her go back and face her brother, who would have made her face her biological father, which at the time she wasn't ready to do. Still isn't, actually. Sometimes she thinks the only way she could face Uther would be if she was pointing the barrel of a gun at his head.

It's a morbid thought.

She looks at her clock and groans. Two thirty in the morning! Morgana lets her face drop back onto her pillow, knowing fully that it will be impossible for her to return to sleep now. She's always had a bit of trouble sleeping, over the years many doctors have prescribed her different medications for insomnia. None of them worked.

Well, she has to be up in an hour anyway, for work. Might as well get up now, make some tea, relax as much as she can before the adrenaline of her assignment takes over.

Morgana rolls over and slowly gets up. It takes a moment for her bleary eyes to adjust to being awake, but when they do she can make out that it's raining outside. Great. This bloody weather has kept up all week. Rain itself isn't bad, but the temperature outside that has come with it is somewhat cool for this time of year. Getting up to go outside in the black of night is even less inviting when it's wet and cold.

She slides her feet into a pair of slippers and finally manages to talk herself into standing. Get it together, Morgana. Scratch the tea for this morning, a strong cup of coffee is what she needs. Grumbling to herself, she makes her way through her flat to the kitchen.

An hour later an alarm is blaring. Hurriedly, Morgana stuffs the flash drive into her bag while swiftly turning to leave. She knows - and does - her job well. Of course, she's not the one to crack the pass code. That would take far too long. They have others for that, others who then pass the information on to her boss, who passes it on to her, who enters the dark offices and needs two minutes, maybe less, to get what it is they require. Two minutes, in and out. That's all she needs.

The black gloves on her hands keep her fingerprints from marking the smooth surface of the keyboard.

Readjusting her hood so that it casts shadows over her face, she pulls her scarf up over her nose and strides through the door. The picked lock leaves it swinging wide open in her wake.

The rain comes down in a light mist, creating an eerie fog in the dark London street. Keep walking, straight ahead. Walk, don't run, don't look suspicious. Four blocks away, there's a zigzagging alley off to the side - turn to the right, go down it. Lose their trail and make an escape.

Clack, clack, clack. Her heels strike the pavement, causing a sharp noise to ring through the still night air. She can't help but feel exposed. Her own breathing sounds loud to her - it's exhilarating at the same time as being terrifying.

Suddenly, the sound of sirens. Her eyes widen, body stiffens. They're fast tonight. Still far off, but getting closer by the second. A quick glance over her shoulder reveals that she is still the sole occupant of the street.

Don't act suspicious. Screw it. Breaking into a run, she sprints the last block and a half to the alley, practically flinging herself around the corner. Dragging in a deep breath and releasing it in a rattling sigh, Morgana closes her eyes momentarily and leans her back against the solid brick wall behind her. Ten seconds. You have ten seconds to get it together.

Green eyes snap back open and survey her surroundings. As it was on the main street, she is the lone soul out tonight. Too close to the light, though - the street lamps' glow is spilling around the corner and invading her dark refuge. She makes her way further along, down into the black recesses of the alley. This area, while being her hide out from the police, has a tendency to house more than a few unseemly characters. So far none of them are out yet, but... well, there's a reason she carries pepper spray in her bag. That, and for anyone else who may try to interfere because they don't like the nature of her work.

Time for the transformation, now that she's escaped the reaches of the street lights. She first pulls off the black leather coat, it is reversed so that the bright red inside is shown off instead. After all, what kind of thief would wear something as glaringly obvious as bright red? She shrugs it back on over top of her grey hoodie. The scarf is unwrapped from around her neck, placed into the bag and a knitted hat is pulled out in its stead. Pushing back her hood, she then pulls her long, dark hair out of the confines of its ponytail, shakes it out, and pulls the cap on over top of it. Last, she retrieves a pair of black rimmed glasses, slides them on.

There. Just another regular citizen, returning home after a late night party, or drinks, or whatever. No one but her any the wiser.

The sirens have all but faded into the background, she's out of their reach now. Stepping out onto the sidewalk of a new street, Morgana smiles to herself for a job well done. Time to return to her flat and call it a night.

"I'll take a gin martini with lemon twist, please."

The damp mist outside is clinging to the window panes, forming droplets which slowly trickle down the glass. Sometimes when he looks at them he sees himself, at other times a dear friend, slowly, ever so slowly, sliding downwards out of control. Screaming, "Help! Help!" But no one comes. Or, they try, clinging to each other and forming a group. But the combined weight of all their problems simply drags them down all together. Plunging down, down...

It's a shitty metaphor to use for your life.

But such is the way of the world, especially when student loans, career crises, and family feuds are a part of it. And when your friend runs off without telling anyone where they're going, hasn't bothered to contact any of you in over two years... It all compounds, and sometimes it feels like it's just bringing you down.

"Excuse me, did you hear me?"

"Sorry?" Merlin's gaze snaps back from the window to the irked customer seated in front of him. "Oh, sorry! I didn't catch that. What would you like to drink?"

"Obviously." The look on the man's face is anything but understanding. One of those types, oh joy. Merlin tries not to grimace at his tone, and waits patiently for the man to repeat his order.

"A gin martini with lemon twist."

Giving his customer a tight lipped smile, the young waiter nods slightly and turns on his heel, headed for the bar.

He rings in the drink order, then goes to wait in line for it. His friend and fellow uni student, Gwen, is waiting for drinks in front of him. She gives him a grin when he sets his tray down next to hers.

"How's your night going so far, Merlin?" she asks.

"Oh, you know, it goes."

Gwen gives him a sympathetic look. "That good, hmm?"

He chuckles and shakes his head. "I lost focus again while taking a drink order from one of my tables. He didn't appreciate being ignored and let me know on no uncertain terms." Sighing, he adds, "I don't blame him for it, but he didn't have to be so ignorant."

Gwen looks up at his face thoughtfully, squinting ever so slightly as she tries to read her friend. "What's wrong, Merlin?" she prods gently.

He begins to respond but is cut off as the curly haired bartender sets two beers down on Gwen's tray. She smiles at him in thanks, and he gives her a nod, then turns to the young man beside her. "For you Merlin? What can I get for you?"

"Erm, a gin martini with lemon twist. Thanks, Leon."

The older man, only by five or so years, turns to go mix up the cocktail. Merlin casts a glance at Gwen and her tray. "It's nothing, you're busy. I'll tell you later."

"Liar, and the drinks can wait. Well?" She gazes at him expectantly, one eyebrow raised.

He releases another sigh. He should know better than to try lying to Gwen - she knows him far too well by now. "I've just been, well, I guess I've been thinking about Morgana a lot recently. And how everything feels like it's a complete and utter mess sometimes. School, work." Lost friendships. "I just... I really miss her, and I think everything may be more bearable if she were still around. I wonder where she is right now."

The young woman puts understanding hand on his arm. "I know it's hard, you two were so close. But Merlin, it will all work out. Believe me. She'll come back."

"Really? How can you be so sure?"

Hesitating for a moment, her eyes flick down to the ground and then return to meet his. "Honestly? I don't. I don't know for sure. But I have faith, I have hope and I will always hold on to it. Don't be so hard on yourself, Merlin. Things will work out."

She's wise beyond her years, Gwen is. Perceptive and caring, she always knows what to say to cheer him up. Not by telling him lies full of false promises, but by being honest. She doesn't know, but she has faith, hope. He could only endeavor to do the same, to stay so optimistic. He just has moments like these sometimes, when he falls off track and needs a little push from his friends to help him regain it.

He grins at her, truly grateful. "Thank you, Gwen. And I'm sorry for complaining. It hasn't been any easier on you, either." It's true, she and Morgana had practically been like sisters when they were younger. She'd taken it hard when the latter had run off.

Leon returns with the martini and places it on his tray. Gwen picks up her own and returns Merlin's smile. "It's fine, Merlin. And you're welcome. Now, go show that rude man what an amazing server you can be!" And she's off, back to work and to her waiting customers.

Merlin nods, more to reassure himself than anything, and does the same.

Dear God, what time is it?

Arthur Pendragon looks at the clock hanging on the sterile white wall of his office. Ten thirty. He's been at work since 8 o'clock this morning. Not that it's a bad thing, it's great experience for him if he's to take over his father's business one day. It's just... not a good day for him, that's all.

He drags his eyes from the clock to the framed photo of a blonde woman sitting next to his computer monitor, and he smiles softly at it. The woman in the photo is his mother, who died in childbirth. How he wishes he could have gotten to know her, given her a hug even if only once.

Today is the anniversary of her death. And it's also his birthday.

It's always been a difficult day for him. For his father, Uther, as well, but his father buries his grief in his work. Always has, as long as Arthur can remember, and he expects his son to do the same. Which is probably why he assigned him such a long task of going over their most recent marketing ploy today. In his own way he's trying to help. But Arthur is not his father, and to be completely honest all that he feels now is even more exhausted and sad than he was this morning.

On the bright side, the office closes in half an hour. He will then be free to pack up and head home to his fiancée, Gwen. She should be off work around that time as well, even though it will be late they will still have time to share together tonight. She'll come home with a slice of chocolate cake from work pretending that it was a leftover and that she didn't bring it back specifically because of the date, even though he never wants to celebrate his birthday, and she'll say that he should eat it anyway because it will cheer him up. And he will, and it does. Then they'll stay up late, talking into the early hours of the morning. No different than they've been doing on this day for all these years now.

She's beautiful, inside and out. Gwen lost her mother, too. She was 6 when it happened. He's thought many a time that he should be strong about his mother's death like she is about hers. But Gwen always explains to him that yes, it hit her hard and does still bother her, but she had her father and brother there for support. They never told her to 'grow up' or 'be a man' about it, in fact they grieved with her, and they all got through it. Just like she promises Arthur he will, too, because she'll be there for him.

Whenever Arthur holds her he knows everything is going to be alright. Sometimes... Sometimes it all feels like a dream. Then the reality of the world comes crashing down on him and he realizes just how messed up his life is in some ways. But it's always nice to have that reprieve.

He sighs. Best get those documents sent off tonight, then he has nothing to worry about for the rest of the weekend.

One more A/N- this will eventually be a Mergana fic. Chapter 1 (and probably the next few) is more Arwen, but once our two favourite M's meet up the story will focus more on their relationship. If you have time, please let me know if you liked it (or if you didn't) in the reviews! Thanks :)