I... Yeah. Here's another chapter. 'Cause you guys are great.
This is the first part of Merlin's Childhood; there are going to be a few chapters on this so I can flesh out his relationships and whatnot. Timeskips Ahoy!
Three Months Later…
As Nimueh predicted, the people had taken to their new Prince well- but not necessarily due to the poor orphan boy story.
As it turned out, Merlin had a certain charm about him that made him just, well, likable. He and Arthur (who quite frankly loved having a little brother, and when his parents told him about his magic, he only smiled wider- but promised to keep it secret) could sweet-talk their way out of almost any trouble. And he wasn't overtly charismatic in the same way Arthur was, all smiles and chatter. Merlin was a quiet sort of child, who would rather be in the library than training. Uther supposed the people found that refreshing.
Of course, there were many who still looked at the new Prince with contempt. A strange commoner had suddenly swept into the kingdom and inexplicably become a member of the royal household? Not everyone took so kindly to that.
Uther remembered the announcement with an odd mix of fondness and discomfort.
He stood on the balcony overlooking the town square, and saw all the commoners gathered below, looking up at him. Ygraine was to his right, Arthur to his left, and Gaius stood with Merlin behind them, out of the view of the people. The knights and nobles were all aligned at the front of the crowd, awaiting the King's "urgent announcement".
"People of Camelot," he began, letting his voice carry across the droves. "I have wonderful news for you all. As my knights and I rid the Northern Forests of a band of thieves, I came across this young boy."
Gaius nudged Merlin forward, to the immediate left of the King, next to Arthur. The people began to murmur with interest.
"His name is Merlin. He is without a proper family, and because of the kind heart and soul of my wife, Ygraine," he looked to her, and she smiled serenely on the crowd, "we have decided to take him into our family."
The crowd was now clamoring, and Uther could spot Valiant's angry gape from below.
"This is Merlin Pendragon, second Prince of Camelot!" He announced over the noise, making Merlin try and shrink into the shadows, but Arthur held him in place.
A few agonizing seconds of total silence later, the people erupted with a happy cheer, many shouting out their congratulations to the King and Queen.
Uther was not expecting the favorable response, but Ygraine beamed and reached over to Merlin. Her smile, combined with Arthur's, infected him, and soon Merlin was smiling back at the crowd, who were all trying their best to glimpse at their newest Prince.
Uther sent out a letter to the kingdoms of Mercia, Caerleon, Gawant, and, against his better judgment, Essetir, telling the respective rulers about his newly-adopted son. He had received congratulations back from everyone but Essetir, which troubled him to no end. But he had no time to worry about that now.
"Uther!"
The King nearly jumped out of his skin, but smiled warmly as he recognized the voice and opened his arms to receive the its owner in a friendly embrace.
"Gorlois, it's been too long."
The broad-shouldered, dark-haired man laughed, patting Uther's arms affectionately. Behind him stood a fair-haired woman, Vivienne, and their daughter, Morgana.
"Lady Vivienne," he greeted the woman by kissing her hand. He then bowed deeply to Morgana, who giggled and raised her arms up. Uther smiled and received the child in a hug.
"Far too long, indeed," agreed Gorlois. "Though I regret to say we didn't drop by purely to see you, Uther."
The King half-smiled. "Of course. I imagine you're here to meet Merlin."
"Yes, well, Morgana was determined to meet her new playmate as soon as possible."
"Father!" shouted the young girl, indignant. Her mother hushed her teasingly.
"Merlin and Arthur will be along shortly. Ygraine is taking them for a stroll around the square. You see, we weren't expecting you so early."
"We were quite eager to get here," Vivienne gestured to Morgana, who was now pouting with flushed cheeks.
"Not you too, Mother…"
Uther led them to the Council Chambers, where they waited for the Queen and the Princes. They arrived not fifteen minutes later.
"Oh my goodness, you're here already," said Ygraine as she straightened her dress. Bits of straw were stuck to her hem and even in her hair, and her face was flushed, but she wore as gracious a smile as ever.
"Arrived earlier than expected," Gorlois nodded. "Something happen in town, Ygraine?"
"The boys decided to start a game of tag. Guess who was it?" Everyone laughed, except for the two Princes, who were trying to hide behind each other to avoid the blame. That was until Arthur spotted Morgana and nearly bolted to her, grabbing Merlin's hand as he did so.
"Morgana!" He grinned.
"Arthur." Morgana curtsied politely, but her attention was obviously centered on Arthur's new brother.
Everyone in that room would later laugh as they remembered Merlin's reaction to the young lady. He was gaping at her, but not in a rude way. His mouth simply hung open a bit, pupils wide and cheeks red as he observed the prettiest girl in the entirety of Camelot (which he thought, never spoke).
"And you're Merlin?" she blinked her impossibly green eyes sweetly.
"I-uh, yes, I am…" He managed a decent bow, blushing even more.
"Merlin," called Uther, who was previously busy chuckling at his adopted son's expense, "this is Sir Gorlois and the Lady Vivienne. Their family guards our land in the west." The adults smiled and greeted the boy. "And this is their daughter, the Lady Morgana."
"Hello," she spoke pleasantly, curtsying again.
"H-Hello." Merlin's voice cracked, just a bit, but it sent Arthur into a fit of laughter. "Arthur!"
Morgana giggled, and the adults watched on with amusement.
"Why don't the three of you go play in the courtyard, then?" suggested Ygraine.
Still hiccupping laughs, Arthur led a mortified Merlin and delighted Morgana outside. The adults still wore smiles on their faces long after the children had left.
"I believe we've found Merlin a wife already," commented Vivienne.
One Month Later
Merlin soon found another downside to add to being a Prince. In addition to everyone watching your every move, and expectations so heavy they could crush a horse, a Prince also had to well-versed in combat. And Merlin was not a fighter.
That is to say, Merlin wasn't ungrateful. He quite liked his new family. His mother was lovely, Arthur was a nice enough brother, and Uther had already proven to be a kind man. He couldn't remember his old family at all, so he should be happy wasn't cast out with no one at all.
He just hated training.
"Agh!" For the tenth time that day, Merlin fell on his back, Arthur grinning victoriously over him. They were both holding wooden swords and shields.
"Merlin, you're making this way too easy!" Arthur teased, pulling his brother up. Merlin brushed himself off and glared at the blonde.
"You're just too much of a brute…"
"And you're a girl," the blonde teased back. Of course, he knew his brother's magic could floor him in seconds, but he was happy to say Merlin couldn't "cheat" out in public.
"Funny, I seem to recall Morgana being a girl, and she kicks your butt." It was Merlin's turn to grin as Arthur scowled.
"Enough, you two." A blonde teenager stepped in between the Princes and clapped them on the shoulders. "Arthur, be nicer to your brother."
Arthur looked at him pointedly. "Leon, how many enemies are going to coddle you every time you fall down?"
Leon rolled his eyes. He turned to the younger Prince and offered him a sympathetic smile. Merlin returned it, happy that not everyone was making fun of his fighting skills (or lack thereof).
"Anyway, let's move on to something else, shall we?" The teen waved over a cart covered with a tarp. "Your father suggested you try the longbows today."
Arthur made a face. "Can't we just keep practicing with swords? God knows Merlin needs it."
"No," replied Leon. "You've had some trouble with longbows, Arthur; don't try to weasel out of it."
Merlin smirked. "Arthur has problems with weapons?"
"Longbows aren't easy!" Arthur shouted back. "Bet they'll be twice as hard for you, Merlin."
Leon handed the both of them a longbow and a quiver of arrows, taking their swords and shields and replacing them in the cart. After instructing Merlin how to properly use the longbow, Leon pointed towards two targets on the other side of the field.
"Have fun." He finished, leaving to attend to something else.
Merlin watched his older brother and he drew the bow back and released- the arrows landed just off the center of the target. The blonde grimaced, throwing Merlin a dirty look as the younger tried to suppress a giggle.
"Nice one," Merlin muttered.
"Shut up and try it, Merlin."
Merlin took a deep breath and pulled the bow back, as he'd observed Arthur, and aimed at the target. He let go, the arrow firing through the air. He immediately looked at Arthur, expecting a taunt for missing so horribly. But instead, Arthur was staring, wide-eyed, at the target. Merlin looked back.
He had hit the center dead-on.
After an involuntary cry of joy, he proved it wasn't a fluke by hitting the center again and again. Arthur eventually admitted that Merlin was a natural with the longbow, no magic required, and the boys returned to the castle in relatively high spirits. Uther was pleased his new son had some skill in combat, especially in a field that didn't require magic. That made his present to Merlin seem almost unnecessary, but Gaius and Nimueh pushed him to it. The King requested to see the younger Prince in his chambers shortly before dinner.
Merlin poked his head through the door nervously. "You wanted to see me, Uther…?"
Uther's smile faltered for a second before he motioned for the boy to come closer. Merlin obeyed, still holding an apprehensive look in his eyes. Despite saving his life, Uther was just… intimidating.
"I wanted to tell you how proud I am of your apparent longbow talents. It's a hard skill to master, but you seem to be very proficient at it." He said these words stiffly, simply because he didn't know how to lead into their next subject, which was a paper-wrapped parcel hidden behind his back.
"Erm, thank you, Uther. I'm glad I found something I'm good at." Though he appeared humble and even quite embarrassed, there was a sad undertone in the boy's words. He was good at the longbow, yes, but he knew he was even better at magic.
Uther nodded (which was actually more like jerking his head down once) and cleared his throat. "Yes, well, considering your other talent… W-Well, Gaius said you shouldn't limit yourself to only one specialty, so…" Not wanting to ramble on further, Uther produced the parcel from behind his back and held it out to his son. Merlin reached out his hand, hesitating and confused, and took the parcel from Uther.
"Go on, open it."
The brown paper fell off, revealing a leather-bound book with gold embellishments. The cover read simply Grimoire, making Merlin blink once, then twice, and then he looked up at his father.
"Gaius was a sorcerer as well," he explained. "After the Ban, he renounced his practices but kept some artifacts as keepsakes." He tipped his head toward the book. "He wanted me to give that to you, to practice." He had to swallow after saying this; imagine, the King of Camelot giving his son a magic textbook!
Merlin's blue eyes, wide with wonder, scanned the inside pages. Spells of every sort were inscribed in elegant hand on the crisp, slightly yellowed paper. "I… It's beautiful."
"Keep in mind that I only consented to this on the premise that you will remain careful. Do not bring this book out in front of anyone who is not in our family. And don't try to burn or destroy anything."
"I won't, I promise!" All of his teeth were exposed as the child smiled. Uther returned the gesture with a considerably lighter heart.
"Now, you should run along and thank Gaius before dinner." Merlin nodded ecstatically, but paused for a moment, instead of walking out the door.
"…Merlin?"
Without preamble, the child threw his skinny arms around the King's midsection, surprising them both with his next words: "Thank you too, Father!"
Uther's arms hovered in the air and he blinked his gray eyes. Then, gingerly, he hugged Merlin back.
"You're welcome, son," he whispered.
They separated, Merlin's childish grin permanently fixed on his face. The Prince nodded, ran to the door, and shouted a goodbye to his father as he left to find Gaius.
(Can you guys tell how much I like Uther yet or) And yes, so we're clear, all the Pendragons (plus Gaius and Nimueh) know about Merlin's magic. But no one else. For now.
I also adore archery, so Merlin+Bow and Arrows= YES.
Next chapter: The castle receives two new tenants and Arthur is jealous... of Merlin?
