Okay. So. I know it's been a while since I've updated this story...definitely more than a few weeks, that's for sure...*screams into pillow* But I got really caught up with real life and other stories and I'm sorry please don't kill me! *flings arms over face to protect myself from any possibly angry readers. Don't look at me like that - it's happened before.* Plus, my Wifi decided to act up and shut down on me, so I couldn't update this earlier today. :'( (And that is why it's midnight over here, folks!)
This chapter is a bit shorter - but I just really, really missed writing about Merlin and Ella and Elyan. Enjoy!
Seven years olds Ella and Elyan Pendragon were terrified and gleeful at the same time.
Gleeful because they were making a ruckus…
And terrified because the victim of the ruckus might possibly murder them.
"Don't you dare think for one minute that you two can get away with this!" the children heard Lady Lyra shout after them angrily. Elyan took a half-second to look over his shoulder and see Lady Lyra's pudgy cheeks bouncing up and down as she ran after them. For a brief second, Elyan had the impression of a pig in his mind. He snorted and looked back at Ella, who looked equally excited as he did. The two dove around the corner and just to humor the Lady, they paused for a few seconds.
"I don't think she's too pleased with us," Ella commented, not looking at all apologetic.
Elyan smirked. "Oh, well," he replied lightly and there was another furious roar from Lyra. He blinked and turning to Ella, mouthed, 'Run?'
'Run,' Ella agreed, and the twins darted down the corridor again. They didn't pay much attention to the fact that servants were cowering behind statues or flattening themselves against the walls as they sprinted past. They bumped into a nobleman or two, but it was always the rushed "sorry"s and "excuse me"s that were uttered before running off again. And all the while, Lady Lyra still persisted on her hunt after the twins, reminding them both very much of an angry bull.
"We – need to – hide," Ella gasped at once, ducking behind a statue and dragging Elyan in behind her. He sighed and muttered, "You are such a girl, Ella!" His sister glared at him and shot back, "Am not! I'm just tired now!" When Elyan didn't look convinced enough, Ella added, "And I can still punch you in the face!"
"I'd like to see you try," Elyan retorted, though he looked back over his shoulder to avoid being hit. He sighed again and said, "We can hide in our room –"
"Too far," Ella said, shaking her head.
"Mother and Father's bedroom? Lady Lyra can't ever go in there," Elyan suggested.
Ella wrinkled her nose. "Too many stairs."
Elyan groaned. "The kitchens are out-of-bounds and I don't really think you'd want to run around the training grounds, especially since Father's out there right now…" his voice drifted unenthusiastically. Ella frowned. "Stables?" she asked halfheartedly. Elyan grimaced. "As much as I'd like to see Lady Lyra waddling into horse dung, I don't think that'd be the best idea," he replied. "Mother would be horrified if she smelled us."
Suddenly, Ella's face brightened. "Uncle Merlin's chambers!" she said cheerfully.
Elyan grinned at the idea. "Yes!" he whooped, and just then, Lady Lyra shouted, "A-ha! Come here, you two! Your parents will not be happy with you –"
Ella let out a shriek and jumping to her feet, grabbed Elyan's hand and dove from the statue. The twins were back on fleeing, occasionally screaming when the bubbliness of it all would catch up to them. "I thought you said you were tired!" Elyan shouted as he zigzagged in between servants. He could barely make out Ella from behind a maidservant's red garments. Her head popped back out a few seconds later and she replied, "Yes, but I think Lady Lyra scares me more!" True, Elyan reasoned in his little brain and pointed down a hallway. "Uncle Merlin's chambers are just a little down that way!"
Ella didn't have to be told twice. The two practically flung themselves at Merlin's door. Elyan's eyes frantically searched around the large chambers, halfheartedly hoping that Uncle Merlin would be here. However, he was only greeted with a few trinkets laid out on the work-bench.
"In here!" Ella hissed, dragging Elyan down to beneath the table. Elyan obliged, but all the same stared at his twin. "There is no way we'll get away with this if we hide here," he protested. Ella frowned at him. "You don't know that," she argued. Before the young prince could snap a retort, the door suddenly opened.
Elyan sucked in a quiet breath as Lady Lyra burst in, face red from her effort of running. She turned her head from side to side, eyes glaring at each and every detail of the room. "I know you two are in here!" she shouted, hitching her skirts to walk in. "And when I find you, I swear you'll never hear the end of it!"
"Bet you we will," Ella muttered sourly under her breath. Elyan gave her a pointed look, though she simply shrugged her shoulders in response. "What?" she whispered. "No one can stand Lady Lyra – I bet Father and Mother would actually thank us for annoying her."
"I heard that!"
Lady Lyra's hands immediately shot towards the table, causing the twins to shriek in fright and surprise. "Go, go, go!" Elyan cried, shoving his sister out from the table. To her credit, Ella was quick to scrabble out. Elyan pushed himself quickly after, turning around fearfully to see how close Lady Lyra was. With a sinking heart, the prince was quick to find out that Lyra was, actually, only a few feet away from them.
"Well," he said weakly. "Isn't this just great?"
Lady Lyra sneered at Elyan and Ella. "To think that you two would play in my own chambers – have you two learned anything?"
"We learned how to run," Elyan supplied helpfully. With that, he turned to look at Ella, who gave him a small nod. Uttering a small scream, Ella darted around the room, throwing comments over her shoulder as she went. "Catch us if you can!" she yelled. Lady Lyra didn't hesitate. She bolted after Ella, her face a picture of rage and frustration.
Elyan, already getting excited by the heat of the moment, cheered, "Go, Ella! Make her run! Make her run! Make her run!"
His sister seemed to like the idea of being the boss of the situation. Beaming at Elyan, she ducked behind a bookcase, causing a few heavy books to fall out. Lyra screamed, throwing her arms above her head as a few of them narrowly missed hitting her. Elyan smiled with glee at that. Inspired by Ella's little rebellion, he clambered over to another table, searching for ammunition.
Glass bottle – that wouldn't do. (As spiteful Elyan was towards Lyra, he didn't want to make too big of a mess…)
Flowers. (Elyan snorted. Right. Flowers weren't exactly the ideal weapon against an angry woman in the court.)
Fruit.
A wide grin spread across Elyan's face. He smiled, grabbing onto a small apple. Perfect. He turned around and let out a sharp whistle, causing Lyra to turn around. He waved cheerfully at her and tossed the apple – not as hard as he could, of course – but still enough to cause it to splatter against her dress. "You nasty child!" Lyra fumed. She bent down, and shaking the fabric wildly, added, "I'll get someone – I really will – and you'll be in so much trouble –"
"Get someone?" a bewildered voice asked from the doorway.
Everything stopped. Elyan watched with pleasure as Lady Lyra's expression slowly turned to one of forced containment. He turned round to see his beloved Uncle Merlin, standing in the door with lifted eyebrows and crossed arms. "Good afternoon, Uncle Merlin!" Ella chirped from behind the bookcase. "Figured you'd come at one point!"
Merlin, however, did not smile. Elyan felt his good mood falter as Merlin's eyes fixed on him. There was something else in the look that the older man gave Elyan – not exactly annoyance, but something much deeper than that. Disappointment, maybe? Elyan felt his cheeks and the back of his neck burn.
Uh-oh.
Not wanting to hold the stare any longer, Elyan ripped his eyes away and turned them to the floor.
"Might I ask what's going on here?" Merlin asked, his voice quiet. There was a rather pregnant pause and then, Lady Lyra found her voice again. "These children have deliberately been a nuisance!" she blustered. "Even more, they've done nothing but go through my belongings – try to humiliate me in front of any other passing citizen they find – and just become an absolute horror to the others."
"An absolute horror, you say?" Merlin asked. Elyan had the feeling that Merlin was looking between Ella and him again – and at that, Elyan wanted nothing more than to go back in time and take back whatever actions he did to start this mess. He didn't like having people stare at him with disappointment – it was always the worst feeling a boy his age could ever feel.
"In that case, you'll hear from the children soon, I'm sure," Merlin added. "Their parents will find out and erm…I would think they'd give an apology soon. Actually, an apology would be rather nice to give right now, yes?" This time, Elyan looked up. The sorcerer gave him – and Ella – a pointed look. "Well?" he asked slowly. "What do you two have to say to Lady Lyra?"
"Apologies," Ella and Elyan chorused, though the notes of misery and dullness weren't able to be swept out of their words. Merlin pressed his lips into a thin smile as Lyra gave a small huffing sound. "I certainly hope you'll bring news of this behavior to their parents," she said coolly. She started to make her way out of the room, when Merlin spoke again.
"Not that the children were totally in the right, Lady Lyra, I would hope you, too, would find that your actions weren't entirely righteous." Merlin called after her. "They are jut children, even if they're of royal blood." At those words, Lyra stiffened visibly – but she didn't bother looking back. It wasn't until they heard Lyra's footsteps completely silent did Merlin actually close the door.
"We're sorry, Uncle Merlin," Ella said in a small voice, taking a few steps away from the bookcase. "Elyan and I were just having a bit of fun and we wanted to hide in here, so…" She gestured helplessly at the mess. Her voice drifted and then cringing, mumbled, "Sorry?"
Merlin sighed. He rubbed his hands over his face and then, after a few moments, said, "I'm not angry about the mess, you two." He cast a look around the room. "Really, I'm not – but from now on, no more annoying nobles, alright? Even if they really, properly deserve it. Wouldn't want you getting into trouble."
Elyan nodded, though the solemn notes in Uncle Merlin's voice worried him. He hadn't ever seen him so serious or tired before, except when he would be talking with Father in the late hours of the night. (And that would be when they thought he wasn't watching.) Then again, there had been signs of odd things happening lately – Elyan had noticed how the knights were training harder than ever, and that whenever Ella and Elyan tried to visit Uncle Merlin, it would be short and brief because someone would interrupt them.
For the first time in his seven years, Elyan wondered if there was something that his parents and Uncle Merlin were hiding something from him. Something important.
"We'll help you clean up the mess, Uncle Merlin," Elyan finally said. To prove his word, he immediately leaned forward and started scooping up the books. He grunted softly under his breath at the weight, but all the same carried it over to the bookcase. Ella quickly took on his example, gathering bits of squished up apple on the floor. She carried it dutifully over to the little bin in the corner of the room. After a few minutes, Elyan heard Merlin draw out a soft sigh. He picked up the books and tucked them into the shelves.
"Come here, you two," he said, stretching out his arms. Ella's face brightened considerably and she practically leaped into his arms. Elyan followed suit. Merlin's arms tightened around the two. "Things have been difficult lately," he said quietly. "And your father and mother will tell you soon – in fact, a lot of people these days haven't been very happy. So can I trust you two to try to help everyone out?"
Ella nodded. "Of course, Uncle Merlin," she said. "I promise. And Elyan does, too."
"I can speak for myself!" Elyan protested, but didn't bother pressing the topic further. He huffed out an irritated breath at Ella – but looked up at Merlin to confirm his position. Merlin's eyes softened. He smiled – a sincere one this time – and murmured, "You two are the best children in Camelot." He paused. "And Sterling, too."
"But he's only two years old and he doesn't know anything yet," Elyan replied.
Merlin let out a low laugh. "Maybe," he said, "but that doesn't make him one of the best, either." He pressed a gentle kiss against their foreheads. "Now, let's get back to cleaning up this place."
xXx
Elyan and Ella were both wide awake when their father walked into their bedroom. "Merlin told me what you two did today," was his first comment. Elyan watched as he sat down on Ella's bed. His father looked over at Elyan, a grin on his face. "Come on," he gestured. Elyan quickly hopped off his bed and dove towards his father. He immediately curled up by his side, head resting on his arm and Ella resting against his lap.
"Are you mad at us?" Ella asked, looking up at their father. "'Cause I don't think Lady Lyra's too happy with us right now." Their father shook his head. "No, I'm not mad," he replied quietly. He brushed a hand through both Ella and Elyan's hair. "A bit tired, but not angry."
Elyan shifted his position by his father. "Uncle Merlin mentioned something about people not being happy lately. Why is that, Father?" he asked, eyes wide. The blond paused. He ruffled Elyan's hair and replied, "I've just been a bit busy lately. That's all, Elyan. A bit busier than I was before…so I might not be seeing you or Ella or even your mother."
Ella propped her head up on her elbow. "Oh," she mumbled. She looked up at their father. "But it'll get better?"
"Of course." Their father reached over and squeezed both Ella and Elyan's hands. Elyan smiled up at him as he repeated, "Of course. It'll get better."
A/N - Because even with Morgana gone, Arthur and Merlin and Guinevere still have to deal with some scary stuff. In other words, adults get stressed out and they have to try to make kids feel happy. (I mean, whether you're a parent or about to be a parent or had a guardian, I think we all know the feeling of watching a loved one having to lie to you or cover something up because they didn't want to bring something upsetting up to you.)
Hopefully, I'll be back with another chapter of this soon! Reviews are always great! Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not.
