"There's nowhere else for me to go," Mordred said.

Merlin stopped his healing. Despite this being what Mordred wanted all along the boy didn't seem all that happy to report to Merlin that there was literally no one out there that would take him. Picking up where he left off Merlin thought about his options. He could somehow figure out a way to let Mordred stay by the lake, he didn't know how, but he was sure it could happen. Then there was always Camelot. Even if Mordred wasn't allowed in the city itself there was bound to be someone Merlin could cajole into giving Mordred safe passage to somewhere homely.

"We'll figure something out."

That something being Merlin journeying, once more, into Camelot. He had told Mordred of his plan. While the boy protested, strongly, he let Merlin go with the promise that if he found nothing in Camelot then Mordred would live with Merlin at that lake.

Unluckily for Mordred Merlin encountered Gwaine almost as soon as he surfaced near the market. Again, the man was drunk. Slouching outside of a tavern, he was nursing his jaw while asking people for spare change. That all changed when he saw Merlin. It was like he had been poked in the behind. Shooting onto his feet and charging over to Merlin with a grin the size of Camelot's tower's on his face.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He purred, leading Merlin to a more quiet space.

"Mordred needs somewhere to stay," Merlin explained. Surprisingly Gwaine stayed quiet through this explanation.

"So what do you want me to do?" He asked.

Merlin shrugged, "If you could find somewhere..."

The way Gwaine's face shut down gave Merlin his answer. There was no place for Mordred. None Gwaine knew of at any rate.

"Or if you could get me some blankets," Merlin settled on. Perhaps he could ask the trees to make some kind of shelter for Mordred when it got colder.

It seemed even blankets were a stretch for Gwaine. The man was out of money. Luckily that was something Merlin could help. Telling Gwaine to wait he rushed back to the lake and fished out anything that looked shiny. Handing them all over he watched as Gwaine's eyes near fell out of their sockets.

It occurred to Merlin as the hour stretched since Gwaine had left that he may not return. Humans weren't much for their promises and greed was something Merlin usually liked to play with to drown them in the first place. Gwaine was probably spending the jewels on drinks or, as the thought came, buying his way out of Camelot. He didn't look like a man who was in this city for the thrill of it. He supposed if the man left without fulfilling his end of the deal Merlin could just track him down. He wouldn't reach another city by nightfall and everyone had to drink sometime.

But it didn't come to that.

Gwaine returned, his arms laden with blankets. He was also casting worried looks over his shoulder every now and then which didn't bode well.

"Thank you," Merlin said. He held his arms out of the blankets, scowling when the man just held them higher.

"These are for a boy, not you, and while I know he doesn't mind water I doubt he'd like to sleep in wet blankets." And Gwaine strode off.

Merlin hissed his name as the man walked down street after street out of Camelot. Still the concerned looks over his shoulder were cast, but the trouble must not have been that bad since he continued to ignore Merlin and walk calmly out of the citadel.

After ten minutes of calling every threat he could think of Merlin let him be. He was rather surprised that the man knew which lake to go to. Even more when he found Mordred straight away. He was downright shocked as the man, rather than leaving, assembled some kind of tent on the lakeside.

"You know how to start a fire don't you?" Gwaine asked.

Mordred just held his hand out and whispered a spell. The nearest log to Gwaine burst into flames, scaring the man, but not enough for him to go.

"Good lad," He said, swallowing down his notable fear and sitting next to the boy again. "What about food? Do you know how to hunt?"

Mordred nodded. "If there's no game, Merlin hunts for me."

Gwaine paled as he turned to Merlin with a horrified look on his face. Sneering at the man he threw a fish off him to show that he wasn't that barbarous.

Calmed, the man skinned the fish for Mordred as he went over the other necessities for surviving. Merlin left them too it when the talk started to bore him. He checked on them every now and then to make sure Mordred hadn't been killed but for the most part let them be. Gwaine didn't look like he was going to harm them.

Around nightfall Merlin pushed himself onto their bank, he kept himself as close to the water he could so as not to dry out from the fire. The other two had no qualms about this and were sat quite comfortably around the roasting fish.

"You don't have to stay," Merlin pointed out.

"I'm not," Gwaine said. "Just making sure you're not going to kill your pet."

Mordred interjected before Merlin could start a fight by shoving a heavy leather pouch into his hands. "It's the gold from the jewellery you gave him. Gwaine said I could have it."

"For emergencies," Gwaine clarified. "I know you can use magic to heal yourself but sometimes it might not be enough. Also," To this Gwaine dug around in his coat for something, "You should probably invest in one of these." It was a dagger, glistening steel with a plain handle. "You never know when it might come in handy. Especially when you're on your own."

Mordred took the dagger, fingering the silver surface before passing it to Merlin. "Where do I get one?"

"I can buy one for you. Nothing fancy, just something you can use," The man promised reaching for the gold on the ground between them.

Merlin hissed his objection and Mordred, quick to respond to Merlin's moods, snatched up the bag before Gwaine could get it.

"I'm trying to keep you safe," Gwaine objected.

"If that's the case then give Mordred your dagger and name the price for a new one."

Gwaine looked like he was going to protest. A smirk broke its way onto his face before he could do so. "You're not very trusting are you?"

"You're all just food to me, trust doesn't even come into it." Merlin took the bag from Mordred, emptying it and counting what was inside. "We'll go tomorrow. If I so much as see you slip one coin into your pocket there'll be one less human in this kingdom."

"Fair enough," Gwaine agreed. He clapped Mordred on the shoulder, sending the boy nearly toppling over, "Looks like I'm spending the night so how about we share that fish out."

True to his word Gwaine bought a dagger the next day in Camelot. To prove his worth Gwaine spoke the loudest he could as he brought the dealer near Merlin. They negotiated a price and Merlin gave over the gold when requested.

Gwaine didn't take his old dagger back. Mordred was disappointed until Merlin took him aside and said this was probably for the best. Gwaine's old dagger was trustworthy, used, Mordred wouldn't have to fear it breaking.

After that Merlin thought Gwaine would go back to his life of Camelot and taverns however, the man surprised both of them by visiting the lake near weekly as summer turned to winter.

"Still not dead yet?" Was always his greeting. Joking every chance he got about how Mordred had survived so long. Merlin would often round the joke back on him by bringing to his attention the fact he was still alive. Showing that his kind didn't always kill people straight away.

Truthfully Merlin had been keeping the rest of his kind away from Gwaine. The man was annoying and talked too much for his own good but he hadn't called the knights on Mordred and Merlin yet. He actually brought supplies sometimes. Firewood he would steal from the villagers when it had been raining too heavily on the lake. New blankets for Mordred when the old ones tore or were stolen by passers by. Although the main reason Merlin didn't let the girls eat Mordred was because the boy had grown attached to Gwaine.

They could do things together that Merlin couldn't. Run around on the grassy banks, stalk animals in the forests, even just playing games over the firelight. It was nice seeing Mordred so happy with Gwaine, despite the fact he brimmed with envy whenever the man was mentioned when it was just the two of them. Sometimes he wondered why Gwaine wouldn't just take Mordred with him.

He was reminded why when Gwaine fell into the water the next time he visited.

The snow had yet to come but the icy chill in the air told them it wouldn't be too long. The water was beginning to freeze on top and the ground could often be found with frost flaking everything it could. Mordred had started staying in his makeshift tent more often during the day. At night he would huddle around his fire or sometimes join Merlin in the water where they used their magic to warm it.

They both heard Gwaine before they saw him. Singing off key at the top of his voice, Merlin almost submerged himself just so he wouldn't have to listen to that tune anymore. A few more notes and he broke out of the bushes, stumbling and swaying his way along the frosted grass to where Mordred and Merlin were lounging. The stench of alcohol came off him in waves and it didn't surprise Merlin when one wrong foot tripped him.

"Should we help him?" Mordred asked.

Merlin considered the flailing arms as they finally grasped the bank.

"I think he's fine."

He helped Mordred out of the water, lifting himself up in the process as he watched Gwaine try and do the same. Three minutes of this and another four falls Mordred came to Gwaine's rescue.

It took him stripping naked and a roaring fire to get Gwaine to stop shivering enough to talk. Thankfully the water had sobered him somewhat so his speech wasn't so incomprehensible.

"Still not dead yet?" He asked Mordred.

"Merlin likes me," Mordred said, he draped another blanket around Gwaine's shoulders. "Which is more than I can say for you now you've done this."

"This?" Merlin's lip curling was all it took for Gwaine to get what had annoyed the merman. "The drinking. In my defence I've had a hard few days."

"I'm sure," Merlin drawled.

He made sure Mordred was sitting close to him as Gwaine started swaying again.

"The prince had me thrown in the stocks again. Something about upsetting a few of his knights," Gwaine explained.

"So you thought you'd drink your troubles away and come to a mermaid infested lake? You do realize how easy it would be to kill you," Merlin pointed out.

Gwaine just shrugged. Death didn't seem to be that big of a threat to him.

"What did you do to his knights?" Mordred asked, his eyes alight with curiosity.

"Called a couple of them names." Gwaine grew silent in thought before continuing, "I also may have punched one of them."

"You punched a knight?" Curiosity was replaced by awe as Mordred became more invested in Gwaine's antics.

"That one that attacked you," Gwaine remembered and suddenly Merlin didn't seem all that angry with Gwaine.

"What did he say?" Merlin guessed. It was as good a guess as any as to why Gwaine picked a fight.

"Just some prattle about a raid. Apparently they had caught another sorcerer in Camelot. I asked them whether they were sure he was what they said he was or whether they were just looking to redeem themselves after their shaming."

"He made the first move?" Merlin completed.

Gwaine nodded, "Naturally. I managed to break one of their noses before reinforcements came. The prince wasn't too happy with me."

"I'm surprised he didn't have you killed," Mordred noted.

Here Gwaine smirked, "If the king had been well I probably would have been. Thankfully his highness is more forgiving than his father and simply warned me to keep my head down. I think he has a soft spot for me, like some other creature I know."

Merlin snapped his teeth at him.

"Speaking of soft spots," Gwaine said, changing the conversation. "What are you going to do with him?"

Merlin didn't even need to hear Gwaine say it. The topic had been weighing on his mind ever since he agreed to let Mordred camp next to him.

"Has Camelot got snow yet?"

Gwaine shook his head, "Should be coming soon."

Soon turned out to be that night. Merlin had been drifting at the bottom of the lake as the first shout went up. Snow, the first fall of winter. The lake would be frozen in a matter of days. The streams less than that.

Knowing he had little time he roused Mordred and urged the boy to hurry as he packed everything he could carry.

Gwaine, having guessed what Merlin was planning, took the rest of the supplies with the promise to meet up with them later. Merlin doubted he would see the man until Spring but he appreciated the gesture.

The pool was still unguarded when Merlin emerged into it. Camelot's waters were naturally warmer than those outside so Merlin knew he needn't fear being frozen under it.

"This was a stupid idea," Mordred said for the seventh time since he realized where they were headed.

"It's the only idea I have. Would you rather freeze to death?"

"No, but I might not have. I've been surviving so long by the lake, you're going to have to trust that I can look after myself someday," Mordred argued.

"I do. But when it comes to surviving winter at my home I know what's right, and I know you wouldn't have made it. The animals are all hibernating, the plants are all dead. I can't go to different streams to get you fish Mordred, and then there's the people. You know the lake gets more visitors when the water's frozen. Do you honestly want a knight finding you? The prince? Or even bandits, I know they wouldn't hesitate to steal or hurt you if you were there. Think about it Mordred, even when you were living with the Druids, did they just take winter as it came or did they prepare?"

He knew he had won when Mordred turned away from him. The pout was visible on his face as he dried and made a nest out of the blankets they had brought.

"Are you going to leave me here?" Was asked after a while.

"Why would I do that?"

This time Mordred was the one talking sense. "You realize the way back to the lake is gone? You're trapped here until Spring. I know your kind Merlin, sooner or later you're going to get hungry. What are you going to eat?"

Merlin scowled as the flaws in his plan started to show.

"There has to be guards around here. One or two over the next few weeks shouldn't cause too much suspicion," He concluded.

Mordred scoffed and turned away again. He didn't seem to share the same optimism Merlin had about his meal plan.

"You could always fetch me something," Merlin hedged. "I can scout some of the passages, see which ones lead to the kitchens. A suspicious boy running around should lead one or two servants to me. Or even just a cat, I doubt I'll be too picky in a couple of weeks."

Mordred stayed in a mood with him the next couple of days. He broke the third morning when he came back from the kitchens, arms laden with food, to tell Merlin that the streams had frozen over. Apparently he had heard it from a maid who had went skating the day before.

With no way to escape Camelot for either of them Mordred started coming up with plans help keep the pair of them alive.

Day five and boredom had set in.

Merlin could no longer lounge in the sun, or swim with the others. He had mastered all the magic Mordred knew about and had no way to obtain new spells for the pair of them. The risk of sending Mordred out more than once a day meant that the boy too was trapped.

Day six and Merlin had taken his routine swim along Camelot's watery passages when he heard it. A tune. Not the best music that could be played but music nonetheless. Following the sound he came up in the dungeons.

It was a place he had started to avoid. Waste was filtered out through the water meaning it was unpleasant to look at never mind swim through. Merlin suffered through it anyway and tried his best to locate the string instrument.

He found it as one of the guards walked the length of the dungeons. Checking on his prisoners he set the lute down as he opened the steel door. That was all Merlin needed. Whispering a spell under his breath he held his hand out as the lute flew into it. Not wasting anymore time than necessary in the dungeons, he swam out of there before the guard could notice anything wrong.

With the lute the days didn't seem that bad anymore. Merlin would sometimes strum a tune himself, but most of the time he taught Mordred how to play it. Having mastered the flute Merlin had no doubt that Mordred could manage another instrument and dedicated at least one hour a day to bringing Mordred up to standard.

"Wrong chord," Merlin said, correcting Mordred's hands before continuing his singing.

"I hope Gwaine's alright," Mordred commented. His hands didn't stop their playing and since it wasn't a question Merlin didn't pause his singing either. "Do you think we should have gave him some gold? At least then he could have paid for a bed for the night."

"He would have spent it all on alcohol," Merlin said around his tune. "Besides, Gwaine's not wanted in this city. I'm sure he's fine."

"I guess," Mordred conceded. He filled the silence again with idle castle gossip he heard from his food run.

Even if he didn't know who was who around the castle Mordred seemed to find life here interesting. At night he would spin tales of knights in tournaments or tales of Arthur's latest quest. Apparently the blonde had gotten into a bit of trouble with a sorcerer, as usual, and was saved by a common man.

"He's living in the castle while he recovers," Mordred told. "One of the maids said he was better with a sword than Arthur."

"Let's hope he's smarter as well then," Merlin remarked with chuckles from Mordred.

Day ten had Mordred running into their room, his eyes wide and movements frantic as he dumped a rather large dog into Merlin's pool. Taking the dog for what it was, food, he tucked in. He had only just finished when Mordred jumped into the water himself, pushing Merlin's head back under water as footsteps sounded close by.

"I saw him come in here," Someone said.

Merlin waited until the last possible second before dragging Mordred under with him.

The man who had followed Mordred cast a brief look into their water before his torch was turned to the rest of the room.

"It's just a dog," Another man said.

"A royal hound," The first snapped. "If Arthur finds out one was stolen it's going to be double patrols for everyone."

Sounds of things being knocked over and footsteps pacing from one end of the room to the other carried to the water. Mordred was starting to struggle. Merlin knew the right thing to do would be to move him into another room. The only thing was that he didn't know what Mordred had done with his things. If they were found...

Taking the risk Merlin brought Mordred into the nearest air pocket, telling him to stay, as he went back and made sure they wouldn't be discovered.

"... Or we could blame it on Lancelot," One of them suggested. It seemed their plans had shifted from trying to find the dog.

"Good idea. If he's caught stealing from the castle there's no way Arthur can keep him as a knight."

"I mean, it's not like we're blaming him out of spite," They tried to justify.

"Of course not. He was bound to make a mistake somewhere, it's what happens when a peasant becomes a knight," The other agreed.

"We're really just doing Lancelot a favour..."

The voices were fading, and as Merlin poked his head up he saw the torch disappear out of sight.

Waiting a few minutes to make sure they were gone, he brought Mordred back into their room.

'You got caught,' Merlin noted. He didn't want to risk saying it out loud in case they were still in hearing distance.

'The dog put up a bit of a fight. Next time I'll get something easier,' Mordred promised.

'No,' Merlin objected. 'Next time I'm getting the food. We can't risk you going out again for a while.'

'But how-'

'Just leave it to me.' It was better for him to risk his neck than Mordred anyway.

His plan consisted of seating himself in an open passageway and singing until someone came near. Merlin loved how his voice could call almost anyone to do his bidding. This time it attracted a serving girl. Brown hair and looking a bit harried she nevertheless did as she was told as Merlin continued his song.

The pattern continued for the couple of days he told Mordred to lay low. Merlin would get someone to fetch him food, and on the third day of this he even ate himself.

"You're sure no one will notice a knight missing?" Mordred asked, amusement in his voice.

"Of course. At first they'll think he's on a drinking binge. Then they'll start asking around, seeing if anyone's seen them. By the time someone discovers he's actually gone we'll be back at the lake," Merlin waved off.

Mordred just rolled his eyes.

Sounds of merriment reached them a week later. Loud drunken shouts mixed with soft tunes and women squealing.

"Yuletide," Mordred told him.

The twelve day festival had begun.

It turned out it was easier during Yule for the pair of them to move around. Mordred didn't have to fear being caught, with servants rushing everywhere they barely spared a glance at him. Merlin enjoyed himself most pleasantly with the extra bodies running around the castle. A serving boy or two as the festival went on was more than enough to keep him happy.

The thing that really brought a smile to both their faces was when Mordred came back mid-week with Gwaine on his heels.

"Still not dead?" He greeted.

Merlin shrugged joking that, "It's the festival, it's making me generous."

"Ah, of course."

Gwaine hadn't came empty handed. A rope led pig in one hand and a picnic basket in the other kept the three of them sated through the night.

"I heard you singing Merlin," Gwaine explained when Merlin asked how he had found them. "After that it was a simple matter of hanging around the kitchens and waiting for Mordred to show up."

"And the black eye?" Merlin asked.

Gwaine rubbed absent-mindedly at his bruise. "Another tavern fight. Don't worry yourself about it."

"Oh I wasn't," Merlin reassured. "I was just making sure you weren't bringing any trouble our way."

The sheepish look that came over Gwaine told Merlin that there might be trouble coming despite his words. However he let the matter drop.

The day turned to evening with Gwaine regaling them of his Yuletide tales. Consisting of some rather unsavoury courting lines and more alcohol than could be good for the man. What was most surprising was the fact that Merlin was in one of Gwaine's stories.

"... People have been travelling from the outer villages to hear you. I can't help but wonder what has you in such a singing mood."

Merlin cast his mind back to his attempts to feed Mordred and also the lute he had the boy play to him every day.

"You've been with us for a while Gwaine," Mordred remarked. "Surely you must know by now that singing is what a merperson does."

"True," The man conceded. "But if you don't want people to start looking for you I suggest keeping quiet for a while."