II. Hunith
Hunith led an easy life in Ealdor. A far easier life than her son's, she was certain, since even though she worked her fingers to the bone daily, she never had to be constantly looking out for the welfare of the sovereign at the same time.
So when Merlin sent her a secret missive, begging her to come urgently to the castle for an emergency, she packed a satchel and set out instantly. Two knights (Gwaine and Lancelot, their names were) met her at the border of Camelot and escorted her all the way to the castle courtyard, where Gaius was waiting.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Hunith enquired. The knights had been extremely courteous around her and playful with each other, but they only grinned secretively and stayed mum when she'd tried to ask sneaky questions.
"Well, it's just something you'll have to see for yourself," Gaius replied, shaking his head and leading her to his rooms.
Hunith prepared herself to face the absolute worst as she pushed open the door.
"Mother!" Merlin grinned at her, sitting crosslegged on the floor beside a teary knight, rubbing his shoulder seemingly in consolation. Hunith grinned back, feeling a flood of affection at seeing her dearest son. She sighed inwardly, seeing his thin frame and bony face. He clearly wasn't eating enough. And his hair needed a trim, and what was that on top of—
Oh, my.
"Is that—"
"Yup," Merlin said cheerily, swatting gently at the tiny fists bunching his hair. A golden-haired little boy sat on Merlin's shoulders, legs dangling on either side of his neck. He was resting his chin on Merlin's head and playing with Merlin's (he really needed a good cut, for heaven's sake, that boy) hair. He hadn't noticed their new visitors.
"It is the king you see, Hunith," said Gaius, ushering her in before shutting the door securely behind them. Hunith set her satchel down near the entrance and hesitantly approached the knight and Merlin, despite Merlin's enthusiastic beckoning.
"Sit down, mum," Merlin said, patting the space beside him. The baby boy, apparently Arthur Pendragon, king of Camelot, chose that moment to sneeze into Merlin's head. "Ugh, you grotty little sprog," Merlin groaned, pulling a hanky out of his pocket and manoeuvring Arthur into his lap. He shoved two ends of the hanky up Arthur's nose. Arthur dutifully made sputtering noises as Merlin cleaned him up, and beamed when Merlin pulled a face at him.
Hunith smiled into her palm, joining Merlin on the floor. Gaius went to make a meal for her, bless his kind soul. The knight beside Merlin stopped sniffling as Arthur transferred his beam to him.
"What did you need me for, love?" Hunith asked.
"You see, mum," Merlin began, tossing the handkerchief far, far, far away, "Arthur here's been turned into a two-year-old brat and we've barely managed to survive seven days so far. We all agreed he needs a mother's care—and none of us are mothers or have a clue what to do—so I thought I'd ask you for help. And that way I get to see you again! Thank you for coming at such short notice."
By this time, Arthur had fixed Hunith with a beady, unwavering stare and dug hook-like fingers into Merlin's front. Hunith felt her heart puddling at the sight of those round, red cheeks.
"Of course I'll help, Merlin," she said, smiling at Arthur.
"Arty-Farty, look, that's Hunith, my mum," Merlin said, propping Arthur up and pointing to Hunith. "Say hello to mum."
"That's Hunny, my mum?" Arthur asked. Merlin grinned.
"That's Hunith, my mum."
"That's Hunny, my mum," Arthur said, as if Merlin was the wrong one. His suspicions from before having seemingly evaporated, he clambered into Hunith's lap from Merlin's to better look at her. Hunith held him steady, not forgetting who Arthur really was. What if he'd remember all this when the curse was lifted?
"You are lifting the curse, aren't you?" she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.
Merlin, prodding the now-composed knight to stand up and go back to doing whatever knights did, said, "Well, yeah, but the sorcerer who cast it was a dimwit and we think it'll lift by itself in about three weeks. Bye, Sir Caradoc! Don't worry too much about this brat here."
Hunith sighed. Camelot was chaos.
"Hello, Hunny-mum," Arthur said solemnly, cupping her face in his dainty, soft hands. Hunith was instantly reminded of Merlin's baby days. Merlin had been just as delicate, although Arthur couldn't make utensils and chairs fly around in glee. "I'm Prince Ah-thur. Please to make your uck—uckwain—" he faltered.
"Acquaintance," Merlin said. Hunith's breath caught as she saw the tender, doting look on her son's face. "Stop trying to say fancy words, Arty-Farty, you're clearly sh—"
"Merlin," Hunith said.
"Ahem."
Arthur kissed Hunith's cheek in lieu of a handshake, nodded once, and let himself be lifted back into Merlin's arms. "Merlinnie is an idiot," he told Hunith. Merlin rolled his eyes and rubbed his knuckles into Arthur's crown. Arthur squealed but to Hunith's surprise only clung tighter to Merlin.
"He's even worse of a tyrant at two, honestly," Merlin said, hooking Arthur's arms around his neck and easily rising to help Gaius with the lunch plates. Arthur peered at everything curiously and was either ignoring the tyrant jibe or hadn't understood it. "Tyrant means meanie, Arty."
"You're the meanie!" Arthur said immediately.
"You're the meanie!" Merlin parroted. "Here, mum, this chair's the least creaky. How much stew d'you want?"
The rest of the day passed speedily; Hunith was reintroduced to Gwen—she was quite different as Queen Regent, though Hunith quickly saw she was still the affectionate, darling Gwen of a few years ago—and some other knights who popped in to salute their tyrant brat king and cheer themselves up with his answering giggle. Arthur gladly sequestered himself in Hunith's arms, distracted by Hunith's foreign, Ealdorian eccentricities, and Merlin made no effort to leave the room the entire day. He either lounged in a corner of the infirmary reading books, or chatted with her and Gaius and helped the physician concoct something or other. Twice he changed Arthur's nappy, seemingly forgetting Hunith would know how to do it better.
Hunith wondered; back in Ealdor he usually used to beg an hour or two off from chores but it was entirely unlike Merlin to laze about… all day.
She discovered the reason soon enough.
It was evening when Merlin went to arrange for a pillow and blankets for Hunith. "I'll be back. Might be a while, though," he said, and slipped out of the room.
Arthur, dozing in Hunith's lap, woke ten minutes later.
"Merlin?" he asked Hunith.
"He's just gone to get bedding for us, darling," Hunith said, tucking a thick lock of golden hair behind Arthur's tiny, fragile ear.
"Merlin isn't here," Arthur said, anxious! With a shock, Hunith saw tears pooling in Arthur's eyes. "Merlin," Arthur cried, squirming in Hunith's embrace, trying to wriggle onto the floor. "Where's Merlin?"
"He'll return soon," Hunith said. She held Arthur at arm's length to avoid being hit in the chest by Arthur's swinging legs while Arthur tried to push her hands down and away. She looked to Gaius for help. Gaius, looking at the tableau, sighed in fond exasperation.
"He's more attached to Merlin than to any of us," Gaius said. "He'll calm down in a minute, but be wary of the sulking."
Sure enough, Arthur began to look perpetually sullen and stopped responding to Hunith's mild teasing. Hunith bit her lip. She'd always known her Merlin was incomparably special and that he and Arthur were two sides of a coin, but for him to have his king's attention like this was simply…
The door opened to admit Merlin, lost behind a pile of quilts and pillows. "Sorry, these are some heavy bast—"
"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. Hunith gave up and set him down.
Merlin peeked at Arthur from behind the quilt pile. "Crybaby," he admonished, completely unsurprised. He shuffled towards an unoccupied bit of space in front of the fireplace and set the pile down.
"'M not," Arthur said, chin wibbling, following Merlin to the hearth. "You left!"
"No, I didn't. I'm back, aren't I? Look at you, you're all snotty again, snotty, grotty crybaby." Merlin wagged a finger at him and went to fetch a clean hanky.
"Shut up," Arthur sniffled, rubbing at his eyes, trailing after Merlin. "I missed you, Merlinnie."
And that innocent, honest admission made all three adults in the room tear up and duck their heads to hide it.
Gaius was fast asleep on the put-you-up, having retired for the night a while ago. Hunith helped Merlin arrange the quilts and pillow on the floor, Arthur sitting on one corner, swaying with sleep.
"Won't he like to sleep somewhere more comfortable?" Hunith asked.
"We tried that. He hates his chambers even if Gwen's there, and always somehow finds his way here. Gaius nearly had a heart attack when he opened the door at midnight to find this chubby little git curled up outside." Merlin poked Arthur's cheek and ruffled his hair. Arthur sleepily swatted Merlin.
Hunith found herself feeling extremely glad to have come to Camelot. Perhaps it wasn't all chaos after all.
"You'll take the cot, yeah, mum?"
"I think you should take it, love, you and Arthur—"
"No, he can sleep on the floor like a peasant for a while. Might even learn something. Not to worry. 'S there anything you need? I put a jug of water inside, just in case."
"All right, Merlin," Hunith said, fluffing the pillow. Merlin yawned, followed shortly by Arthur. "Night, my love," Hunith whispered, leaning over to kiss her son on the forehead. Merlin smiled at her, stretching out on the makeshift bed.
"Mummy?" Arthur said quietly.
Hunith and Merlin both stared at a blushing baby Arthur, who was more alert than they'd expected.
"Kiss me night too, mummy?" Arthur asked, shy.
Merlin swallowed and covered his face with his hands, pressing it into the pillow, trying to muffle his heavy breathing.
Hunith, through the prickling in her own eyes, suspected he was trying not to cry, too.
Ygraine's memory hung in the room, still, peaceful and painful.
"Of course, dear child," Hunith said. She reached for Arthur and drew him into her arms. "Good night, sweetest king," she whispered, and planted a loving kiss on Arthur's head, just as she'd done with Merlin way back when.
"Night, mum," Arthur said, a pleased smile on his face. He crawled into the hollow formed by Merlin's curled recline, Merlin's hand automatically settling on his back as he snuggled into Merlin's chest.
Hunith made her way to Merlin's room. She heard Arthur whisper, "Night, Merlinnie," and Merlin choke out a "Night, Arthur," as she closed the door silently and lay down on the cot, wondering if she'd fall asleep.
