Thank you thank you thank you! You are all wonderful and I can't believe that people actually enjoy reading this. Having so many readers who let me know what they think is super helpful as a writer.
I do not own anything except for my original story points and I make no money off of this at all.
Enjoy!

Arthur sat with Merlin on their joint cots and gently stroked his ears and hair. He couldn't still couldn't believe that he had found his one true mate. It had always seemed like such a far away idea but now Merlin was here and he had almost been lost. That sent a sharp pain into Arthur's chest and he never wanted to feel this way again. He promised himself and Merlin that he would never leave him unattended ever again and nothing like this would ever reoccur. He knew that this would need him and each of his own knights attention and it wouldn't make his father happy at all. But he was willing to anger his father more if it meant that his Merlin was safe and sound.

Arthur leaned down and nuzzled into Merlin's silky locks. He took a deep breath of the sweet scent of his omega and desperately wished that his ears would twitch and brush against his cheeks. He couldn't stand to see his mate in such a state of hurt, it physically hurt his heart. He really just wanted his mates bubbly talk and banter back in his life.

After sitting and nuzzling Merlin for hours, he ate the midday meal that George had brought up before his father had burst in. The bread wasn't as soft and the meats and cheeses were now the same temperature in the room, but he knew he needed to stay strong for Merlin. Gaius had mentioned that Arthur being close would be important because Merlin would be able to pull strength from their bond. This would of course been easier had they been fully bonded, but Arthur was willing to offer any help or comfort to his mate.

Once all of the food was eaten, the prince sat and decided to tell Merlin of his dreams from the day before. He began, "Merlin, if you wish I would give up the throne and all the money and power here in Camelot. I would take you away and we could own a farm in Ealdor, or at least near enough. I would farm the land that we would own and you could help your mother with healing in Ealdor. As soon as you matured, I would have you with child straight away and you would glow. After that, we would have so many children, girls with my hair, boys with yours, and of course they would all have your beautiful and curious eyes. They would be so smart and kind and would of course never know the word fear."

Arthur now had tears in his eyes, "I would do it all for you, you just need to wake up and tell me so and we'd be gone. Merlin, you've only been in my life for less that a fortnight and now I cannot imagine it without you. You need to wake up and stand by my side for the rest of time. I need you Merlin."

He sat like this for awhile and held onto his mate gently. Merlin never made any movement or acknowledgement of what Arthur had said. He was glad no one had witnessed his breakdown, but still wished that his mate would've woken up and at least heard him. Arthur knew that he would keep every promise he made to Merlin, but he wished the younger man had witnessed it at least.

Gaius had come in and checked in on Merlin every few hours. He seemed pleased with the young omega's recovery but still couldn't answer when he would wake again. George came in to make sure Arthur had everything he needed. The alpha was content sitting there but asked for some of the reading material from his rooms. Before he had left to find his mate, he had been reading up on omegas and their relationships with their alphas. He decided that he really needed to know this especially now that his mate was here and really didn't know much about their shared culture.

The prince sat on the bed and dragged his right hand through his mate's hair as he read. He learned that Merlin would need time once he came of age to figure out what his role was in his own life and Arthur's life. Apparently all omegas did this and some took a few days while others took weeks or months. He hoped that by then Merlin would be accustomed to court life and life as the prince's omega. He knew that all of this would determine when his mate would come into his first heat and they would be able to be fully bonded. He just hoped that his father wouldn't die before then, because that would be a whole bunch of other adjustments to be made to their lives. Something that Merlin wouldn't be remotely prepared for because his father refused to acknowledge him as the future Consort to the Prince, which probably wouldn't change when they bonded either or when Arthur became Crown Prince of Camelot in a few months. So Merlin's first experience with being formally considered royal would be when he became Prince Consort when Arthur assumed the throne.

The prince really wished that his father could just give up his prejudices against magic and accept his bond mate. Sure it had supposedly killed his mother but that was 16 years ago and Merlin wasn't remotely tied to that. Heck, he wasn't even alive then and the witch responsible had been immediately punished on the pyre. Sure his father accepted magic if he had to or if it benefited him in any way, but other than that magic users be damned. Arthur didn't agree with this at all and he hadn't for most of his life. Magic wasn't bad inherently but could be wielded for evil just as much as good. He would punish those who used it to hurt others or cause harm but all others would be left in peace. He saw that this was right especially now that he had both Morgana and Merlin in his life.

Arthur read on about nesting that omegas apparently did when they were about to go into their heats and the much larger extent they did it to when they became pregnant. He chuckled slightly thinking of Morgana doing such but then his heart warmed when he thought of Merlin doing such. He brushed his hand along the younger male's face that even now looked better than it had this morning.

Just as he was about to go back to reading, the door to the small room burst open to reveal an angry looking Morgana and Gwen, Leon and Lancelot in tow. "What is this I hear about Merlin almost dying?" she shouted.

"Morgana, how nice to see you today," Arthur said trying to remain calm, as he closed his book and stood up.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't start that with me Arthur, I want to know how he was almost killed. I know you are new to all of this, but really Arthur. He is a young omega who needs nurturing, not beating to a pulp."

He felt his anger growing as he got into her face, "I don't know who did this Morgana but the gods know I didn't. Leon and Lance had to restrain me last night. I still want to kill what ever bastard did this! Don't you ever doubt that dear sister."

Morgana huffed crossing her arms over her chest. Her ears were close to her head and he could see her skirts moving from her tail swishing angrily. "He still should've been guarded by your men," she pointed out.

Arthur growled low, "I know that now Morgana, but I didn't think that the normal guard would allow anyone past that would possibly hurt him."

"So it's someone trusted in the castle then?" she stared sitting on Arthur's vacated bed and stroking Merlin's hair.

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't know Morgana, possibly?"

"Should we focus on protecting Merlin, now that he's more vulnerable?" Leon asked.

The five nodded and Arthur was glad that Leon was here. He had always been a buffer for Arthur and Morgana. Really he wasn't surprised when it was revealed that Morgana and Leon were bond mates.

Truth be told, he was glad to have each of them here because he knew that each of them had already cared for Merlin because he was important to Arthur. He also knew that this was shared by Elyan, Percival, and Gwaine too. And it would take them all to keep Merlin safe, if he had been attacked on his first days in Camelot and in Arthur's own chambers. It made Arthur proud to have these people by his side and willing to defend someone they barely knew.

He finally had hope that maybe they wouldn't need to run away for he and Merlin to get their happy ending. Now only to convince his father and the people of Camelot that Merlin was wonderful and worthy of the position destiny had granted him. Arthur knew the people would automatically love Merlin once he was presented to them. First Merlin needed to wake up.

Notes: A short update but I will hopefully have more in the next couple days. I just needed this fluff out of my system.

Please subscribe/kudos/comment! I love reading comments and ideas from other fans and the readers.