Note to readers: I have been without internet for a while now, but it's finally going up: chapter ten! Sorry for the wait, but there is a big surprise in store for our favourite short-lived-but-forever-in-our-hearts couple. Read on to find out more! Thank you for all the support that you have been giving me too; I love you guys!
The weeks after Merlin and Freya's wedding went by quickly and before they knew it, they had been married a month. It hardly felt that long, but Arthur could see the difference in Merlin's attitude to life. He seemed more optimistic in general, forever ignoring Arthur's foul moods and managing to find the fun side of his work. In fact, Arthur began to think that marriage had changed Merlin a lot, for the better, of course.
It was thirty-six days after the wedding – and Arthur knew this, for Merlin was forever reminding him of the tallied total – that Arthur started to question his own opposition to the formality of marriage.
"Merlin?" Arthur inquired one day, whilst Merlin was polishing the armour, sitting opposite Arthur as he completed paper work.
"Yes, Arthur?" Merlin responded, looking up. Arthur set down his pen. Merlin watched him, eager to help, his ocean blue eyes wide and understanding. Arthur rubbed his eyes and bowed his head. Spit it out, coward. Merlin is not going to laugh at you, or tease you or be cruel in any way, Arthur attempted to convince himself. Sighing, he removed his hands from his face and looked down at the table, instead of into Merlin's eyes.
"I've noticed that… now you're married… What I mean is: do you think marriage is a good idea?" Arthur finished, looking up at Merlin, who smiled back at him.
"Of course!" he stated enthusiastically. Arthur gazed thoughtfully at his friend. Merlin immediately noticed the reserved silence, and asked tactfully, "Why do you ask?"
"Well, ever since you and Freya got married, you seem so happy. You used to have bad days now and then, but that's a thing of the past; it doesn't happen anymore." Arthur answered, well aware that Merlin was suspicious of his behaviour.
"Well, of course I'm happy! I have the woman I love and nothing can take her away from me." Merlin commented triumphantly. Arthur winced, overcome with the impulse to dissolve Merlin's fairytale-like illusion. Managing to restrain himself, Arthur continued.
"In what way do you mean you 'have' her?" Arthur questioned, evidently hitting Merlin in a weak spot, as he blushed an unmistakeable tomato-red colour.
"Well, every way. You know, legally." Merlin blundered, looking down as he continued his work in embarrassment, "We're together all the time." Arthur laughed, causing Merlin to look up and grin sheepishly.
"Together. As in…?" Arthur started.
"Together, together." They ended in unison. Laughing, Merlin blushed again. Arthur shook his head.
"You mean you're with her every night?" he asked, out of sheer curiosity.
"No." Merlin said shaking his head, then, thinking again, he continued, "More like every other night." Arthur laughed hysterically.
"Now I know why you're so happy." He said, grinning widely. Merlin smiled back.
Suddenly, Arthur was hit by a thought. If marriage made Merlin so happy, why wouldn't it make Arthur happy? In fact, Arthur was beginning to come around to the idea of having a wife. The word 'wife' had a certain familiarity to it, like it was just simply right. Studying the worried expression on Merlin's face, evidently caused by Arthur's sudden silence, he started.
"That's not a bad idea!" he said, sitting up straight in his seat.
"What? What's not a bad idea? Why?" Merlin said quickly, sensing Arthur's excitement and recognising that this was never a good sign.
"I should get married!" Arthur said, jumping out of his seat and pacing around his room. Merlin stood up too.
"But you've only been courting Gwen a month!" he exclaimed, moving over to where Arthur was bounding up and down.
"So? What does that matter if I love her?" Arthur retorted, grinning uncontrollably.
"It's a bit quick though." Merlin said, watching his master prance around in bemusement.
"No! You and Freya hadn't been courting that long before you proposed." Arthur said to him.
"A year." Merlin stated, "We were courting a year." Arthur halted, a confused frown upon his face.
"And I never noticed?" he questioned, tipping his head comically on the side.
"No. You were never even close to guessing." Merlin said.
"Never mind." Arthur retorted, shaking his head and resuming his pacing. After a few seconds he bounded over to the window.
"When are you going to ask her?" Merlin asked, following Arthur uncertainly, keeping his distance as if afraid of catching the excitement that rushed through Arthur's veins. Arthur turned to face him.
"Today. In fact," Arthur said, approaching Merlin, "You can get her for me and then we can do it here." He raised his arms, indicating to his chambers. Merlin frowned.
"On the floor?" he asked in mock suspicion. Arthur raised his eyebrow.
"You know what I mean." He said, shaking his head slightly.
"Ok then…" Merlin said doubtfully, turning away and walking to the door.
"What?" Arthur asked bluntly, familiar with Merlin's dubious tone. Merlin turned to face him, stopping in the doorway.
"I just don't think it's a good idea, that's all." He stated, attempting to edge out of the room. But Arthur wasn't letting him get away so easily.
"Why not?" Arthur asked warily. Merlin shrugged.
"It's just my opinion." He replied, slipping out of the room as he spoke.
"You're wrong, Merlin! Just you wait!" Arthur shouted after him.
Who cares what Merlin thinks, Arthur thought to himself as he sat back down at the table. Arthur was convinced he was doing the right thing. He loved Gwen, so no matter what happened, that's what mattered. Everything would work out just right; it always did, a bit like a fairytale.
XXX
"You know, Arthur told me the strangest thing today." Merlin said as he tucked into his dinner. Freya, who was stood by the stove of the small house that once belonged to her alone, turned to face him, picking up a damp cloth.
"Oh really." She said, evidently not in the slightest bit interested. Merlin, ignoring her mood, continued.
"Yeah. He said he was going to ask Gwen to marry him." He stated nonchalantly, eating his food and throwing wary glances to Freya, who was now cleaning down the top of the stove, her back to him.
"That's a bit fast, isn't it?" she said, finishing the cooker and moving to clean the table.
"That's what I told him." Merlin replied.
"Lift." Freya ordered, pausing to let Merlin lift the books he had left on the table, allowing her to clean underneath. Once she had finished, Merlin set the books back down and continued.
"But he just started talking about how we weren't together for that long before I proposed, so I told him that we'd been courting a year. To be honest, he seemed more worried that he hadn't noticed us, rather than that he was moving too fast with Gwen." Merlin babbled, lifting his beaker for Freya to clean under. As he set it down she paused cleaning to watch him talk, "But anyway, to cut a long story short I told him that I didn't think it was a good idea and he got mad at me. I don't see why he should, it's not like having an opinion is a crime…" Trailing off, Merlin began eating his dinner again.
Freya just stood there, obviously put off by something. After glaring at Merlin for a few seconds in stony silence, Freya spoke.
"Lift." She stated bluntly. Merlin looked up.
"What?" he asked, pausing eating to gaze at Freya in bemusement.
"Lift the damn plate!" Freya shouted. Merlin jumped and stood up.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted back. She stared back and after a few seconds her lower lip began to quiver.
"Sorry." She whispered quietly, dropping down into the chair across the table from Merlin. As tears began to fall down her cheeks, Merlin moved around to kneel beside her chair.
"I'm so sorry, Freya." He said, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly, "Just tell what's wrong. You seem so tense."
"I just wanted to clean the…" she sobbed helplessly stretching out her arm to pick up Merlin's plate. Merlin pulled her hand back in and moved to kneel into front of her.
"Shh." He said, rubbing her knees. With her free hand, Freya wiped her eyes. Merlin sighed, "Please tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if you don't tell me!" Freya gazed at Merlin, studying his face with what seemed like curiosity. After a while she shook her head.
"I can't." she said, looking down into her lap and tracing the veins on Merlin's hands.
"Please Freya." He said, lowering his voice to a seductive whisper. Freya looked up, responding to the tone of his voice. But she didn't reply. Instead she just gazed into his eyes. Merlin stood up in frustration, moving to the door, "Why won't you tell me?"
"Merlin." Freya said quietly. Merlin remained with his back to her, "I'm pregnant."
At that precise second, Merlin felt as if the ground had just fallen from beneath him. Spinning around to face Freya, upon whose cheeks glistened new tears, Merlin spoke quietly.
"What?" he asked in disbelief. Freya didn't reply. She simply sat in her chair and cried silently as she watched for Merlin's reaction.
But Merlin didn't react. He had completely frozen, inside and out. Unable to respond, Merlin gripped the doorframe, attempting to think straight. Within the space of a minute, Merlin's whole perspective had changed. Life rule number one: Actions bring consequences. For example, making love to your wife will, at some point, make her pregnant.
Looking to Freya, Merlin said the one thing that could describe his feelings.
"Wow." He said. Freya sobbed gently.
"I'm s-so s-sorry!" she wailed. Merlin laughed gently and knelt down in front of her, tipping her head up so that he could look into her eyes.
"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" he asked softly, stroking her cheeks, "This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not only am I married to you, but we're having a baby!" Merlin laughed and soon Freya joined in. Merlin rested his hand on Freya's stomach, "How far along are you?"
"About a month." She replied, grinning widely. Merlin sat back on his heels and, still watching Freya's stomach as if by magic the baby would just appear, he spoke.
"How do you know for sure?" he asked.
"Well, there were lots of signs but I finally realised last night. I didn't feel right when we were…" Freya trailed off.
"Yeah." Merlin said, "You could've stopped in you'd wanted to." Freya giggled.
"Well, no. I think you were enjoying it too much." She said, grinning childishly. He shook his head sarcastically.
"Can I feel again?" he asked. Freya nodded. Again Merlin knelt forward and rested his hands on Freya's stomach. Merlin stared at it for a while expectantly.
"Are you waiting for something?" she asked sarcastically.
"When does it start to kick? I want to feel it." He said eagerly. Freya laughed.
"Not for a while yet, Merlin." Freya replied fondly, smiling gently at the disappointed look on her husband's previously excited face.