A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews and also for the alerts/favourites. I actually wrote up this story because I had seen so many Merlin/Arthur turning into a child stories. It sort of struck me suddenly and I ended up typing the first chapter without any planning. I mean I had a rough idea what I wanted to do but it was never properly laid out. Now I finally have a proper direction. The story will have about two more chapters. I might put up an epilogue but that'll depend on chapter 4 and how I end it. Let's hope you all like this chapter!
Pairings: None whatsoever! This means there is no slash either! It's just a friendship story between Arthur and Merlin!
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I do not own "Merlin"
Chapter 2: Fun Times
Arthur had expected the kid Merlin to be satisfied with some paper and a quill. However, he had been wrong. Merlin was currently jumping on the bed and Arthur was trying to get him off.
"Merlin, get off this instant!"
Merlin looked at Arthur mid-jump and said, "But Arthur this is fun! Your bed is much better than mine! You should join me!"
Arthur surprised at the offer said, "Merlin, the bed is not for jumping. Please get down! You might hurt yourself!"
Merlin pouted but got off, surprisingly. Arthur regaining some of his calm decided to find something to keep the child busy. He went to the various trunks lying around his chambers looking for some old wooden toys of his.
He triumphantly pulled out a couple of his old toys and turned around. Unfortunately, he was greeted to the sight of Merlin sitting on his chair leaning over some important scrolls.
Arthur dropped the toys, rushed towards the desk and picked the child up so Merlin was up in the air facing Arthur. Stern disapproval was written all over Arthur's face...or at least he thought it was.
"Merlin, I told you before you can't touch those. They are important scrolls that the King needs."
Merlin looked at Arthur shaking his dangling feet back and forth, "I'm bored Arthur! Play with me!"
Arthur sighed, "I have some toys over there you can play with those I need to finish this work off."
Merlin pouted, blast the cuteness! However, the child surprisingly nodded and Arthur cautiously put him down. He watched Merlin walk towards the dropped toys and sit on his haunches to play.
Arthur, satisfied, went back to his work. After a couple of minutes, Arthur was engrossed in some tax mix-ups and didn't notice Merlin creeping towards him. It wasn't until Arthur felt a small body wriggle underneath his arms that he looked down.
Merlin was currently trying to push his way towards Arthur's lap. He had a toy horse clutched tightly in his hands. Arthur sighed and Merlin hearing that smiled so innocently that Arthur lost the battle quite spectacularly. He supported the child with one arm and allowed him to take his seat on the Prince's lap.
Once on Arthur's lap Merlin proceeded to play with his horse and Arthur tried to read the scroll. The Prince had placed an unconscious arm around Merlin's waist to keep the child from falling off, while Arthur's other arm was off to one side with the scroll in it.
After trying and failing to continue reading the scroll Arthur watched Merlin's play. It seemed the child had created some sort of obstacle course for the horse. Arthur was amused to notice that the horse clearly had some supernatural powers, he had never seen a real horse jump that high.
Curiously, Arthur placed a quill in between the horse's path. Merlin noticing that, turned to Arthur with a wide grin and then turned back to the desk. The two played like that for some time, Arthur getting ingenious in his obstacles and Merlin finding new ways for the horse to cross it.
They got into a small argument when Merlin decided his horse had imaginary wings. Arthur declared that banned from the game and after convincing Merlin that the game would be over if the horse could fly over everything, they continued on.
This lasted until lunch and Arthur was surprised to note that Merlin was a smart kid. He had made up many different ways of going around Arthur's obstacles. Closer to the ends of the game Arthur had started moving all around the room with Merlin in tow finding different objects and piling them up in strategic ways.
They stopped when they heard a knock on the door and Merlin curious to see who it was rushed towards the door. However, Arthur with his quick reflexes caught the child and dragged him towards the bed.
Arthur whispered to Merlin, "You must hide quietly under the bed Merlin. No one can know you're here!"
Merlin's face scrunched up into confusion (once again with the cuteness!), "Why?"
Arthur paused momentarily thinking up a plausible excuse then said, "If someone sees you then they'll take you away and we won't be able to play. You don't want that right?"
Merlin's eyes widened and then he shook his head hard, "No no! I want to stay with Arthur!"
Arthur felt that curious warmth well up in his chest again at the vehement refusal. He squashed the feeling and the smile that was threatening to break out onto his face, and then gently pushed Merlin under the bed.
As he stood up he called for the person to enter and a serving girl walked in with a tray full of food. The girl paused just inside the doorway when she spotted the peculiarly laid out mess around the room.
Arthur resisted the urge to smack his forehead. In his hurry to hide Merlin, Arthur had forgotten the state of the room. There were pillows, quills, trunks, old toys, some clothes and other miscellaneous items lying all around the room. Some in piles and others in oddly shaped tunnels.
Arthur glanced at the maid who wore an expression that was a mixture of shock and curiosity. She then gave a quick questioning glance towards the Prince before she curtsied and asked, "Where would you like me to place your food My Lord?"
Arthur almost jumped in jubilation at avoiding any awkward questions. He had gotten so used to Merlin's way of asking whatever went through the servant's head that he had forgotten, normally servants never questioned their masters.
Arthur pointed at the desk then realized the desk was also similarly cluttered and moved to clear some of the mess to make room for the tray. The girl placed the tray down and Arthur gestured for her to leave saying, "I'll ask someone to come and get the tray once I'm done."
The girl curtsied once more and headed out the door closing it shut behind her. Arthur sighed in relief as Merlin made his way out from under the bed. The child directly went to Arthur and tugged on the Prince's breeches.
Arthur looked down to see the child's head tilted upwards, blue eyes twinkling, chewing on his bottom lip, and pointing with one hand towards the food. The sight was so adorable that Arthur once again resisted the urge to smack his forehead...could anyone ever refuse this child anything!
Arthur lifted Merlin up and made his way towards the food. He sat on the chair and set Merlin down in front of him on top of the desk. The higher elevation seemed to please the child and he spent some minutes looking all around the floor by leaning over the table to judge how high he was.
Arthur left him to it as the Prince separated the food. Arthur kept a larger portion for himself and left smaller bits for Merlin. The child came back up and attacked the food as Arthur gave it to him. The Prince worrying about the scrolls decided to use his hand to push them all to the floor. It would probably be better off down there.
Merlin ate in silence too hungry to do anything else and Arthur did the same. Merlin was finished quite quickly and turned to look at the Prince eating.
Arthur continued eating and saw Merlin's hand reach for a sausage. He caught the hand and shook his head at Merlin.
The child turned watery blue eyes to Arthur's with his bottom lip jutting out and quivering. However, this time around Arthur had decided to be firm. He would not let the kid Merlin push him around.
He was going to put his foot down...what was his right hand doing? Was it...it was! It was giving the sausage to Merlin. Blast that hand! How dare it not obey his commands? How did this child control his right hand? It must be Merlin! It couldn't have been Arthur of course! Merlin's cuteness would not budge the Prince once his mind was made up!
And so the sausage, despite his mind's protest, was given to Merlin by Arthur's traitorous right hand. Merlin gave a wide, grateful grin and Arthur's protests died away filling his mind instead with that warmth that the Prince hated...well thought he hated anyway.
Once lunch was done and the dishes were taken away. Arthur took the opportunity to look around the room and at Merlin who was trying to climb onto the bed again. He caught hold of the child and was rewarded by a squeal of delight.
Arthur then said quite seriously to Merlin, "We need to clean up this mess Merlin."
Merlin looked around the room from Arthur's grip and then turned his head to the Prince slightly disappointed, "Do we have to?"
Arthur smiled despite himself, "Yes, we do. Once we clean it up we can play another game, how about that?"
Merlin smiled widely and nodded his head enthusiastically. Then the child looked around the room contemplatively again, and then looked at Arthur.
"Well...Arthur...there is an easier way..."
Arthur, confused at Merlin's reluctance to speak, said, "What easier way?"
Merlin fidgeted and looked around the room then back at Arthur again, "You mustn't tell anyone!"
Arthur blinked a little surprised, "Tell anyone what?"
Merlin fidgeted some more, "Well since Arthur is now my brother...I've decided to tell you my secret! But nobody in the world knows so you mustn't tell anyone...well Mother knows...but she's mother she has to know...but she said not to tell anyone and even Will doesn't know and he's my best friend in the whole wide world!"
The rambling continued and Arthur's mind took a detour. Would this be the secret that kept Merlin under his mother's watchful eye? Would it also explain why the adult Merlin sometimes tended to lie to Arthur, as if he was hiding something? Arthur was desperate to find out so he forced Merlin to a pause by stating, "I give you my word that I won't tell anyone about your secret."
...Famous last words...
A/N: That's chapter 2! Actually, I can't do humour very well...I'm hoping people enjoyed the little bit of it that I did put in. I know it wasn't much but I hope I did well. Please review and tell me if you all enjoyed it! Also just in case any readers didn't realize it, this is NOT A SLASH story! I caps locked and repeated it cause I know some people don't read the entire author's note. Let's hope that part sticks out! Anyways, I'll try to upload the next chapter sooner. There are only about two more chapters after all! See you soon!