CHAPTER 21 : ACCEPTANCE
As Merlin raced up the last remaining stairs, Arthur watched him. It felt as if a little dagger was slowly easing its way into his heart. Slowly he began to step backwards down the stairs one at a time, distancing himself from the happy scene.
When Leon had heard Merlin call 'Mummy!' He had left the hearth and walked to the bottom of the stairs. He walked up a few steps and put his arm around Arthur's shoulders, keeping him in place.
Merlin's mother said, "Merlin…oh, Merlin!" Merlin grabbed her around the waist and clung onto her and she wrapped her arms around him, rocking the two of them back and forth. Arthur watched intently as she peppered his hair with kisses then pushed him back to have another look, before hugging him to herself again.
Merlin suddenly stopped; hanging onto his mother's hand, he reached for Arthur but Arthur was only halfway up the stairs. Leaving his mother on the top step, he skipped down and grabbed Arthur's arm, "You've got to come and meet my mother." Arthur pulled back, he couldn't, he was confused and the pain was almost making him lose his breath. Merlin insisted, "Arthur, come on! She'll want to meet you."
Reluctantly, he left Leon and allowed himself to be drawn up the stairs. She made the first move by saying, "I'm happy to meet Merlin's best friend…"
Merlin grinned at Arthur saying, "I told her about us. I knew she'd like you just like I do."
Arthur found himself standing one step below Hunith. She leaned forwards and put her hand on his shoulder saying, "Thank you for looking after Merlin. I was worried letting him come here all by himself as he's rather young."
"I'm very happy to meet you," Arthur said but couldn't help adding, "…and I think I should also be thanking you for Merlin." He ducked his head a little saying, "I needed him so much…"
Hunith smiled and said, "I think we both need Merlin, don't you?" Arthur felt as if she were an extension of Merlin; he felt quite relaxed with her as if she already knew all his secrets which he knew was impossible.
Arthur looked up and the pain was going; now that he was involved in the conversation, the memories of his mother on the stairs was fading. He was happy that this lady treated her son just like his mother had him.
Merlin began pulling at his mother's hand. She started to descend the stairs, slipping her other hand into Arthur's and smiling at him. He felt such a baby as he knew that he had tears on his face but Hunith made no comment. Arthur knew they were not alone as another figure appeared at the top of the stairs for a brief second he thought it might have been his mother but it was Miles who was smiling and Arthur found himself smiling back.
Midway down the stairs, someone started clapping and Merlin looked up to see Leon and Gaius at the bottom.
"You knew about this! That's why Leon was in Paris…Gaius, you kept it a secret!"
Gaius walked over and hugged Merlin, "It just seemed to fall into place all of a sudden. You don't know how hard it was to keep quiet about it."
Merlin turned to his mother saying, "Have you seen the château?"
"Yes, Merlin it's beautiful. I was here yesterday afternoon and again this morning. We've been keeping an eye on the three of you as Gaius said that he thought the Gryphon Stairs was the best place for the surprise."
Merlin got out his camera. "I want everyone to stand on the stairs. You too, Leon. This is going to be a great photo."
Arthur went to walk down beside Merlin but Miles said, "No Arthur, you'll be in this picture and then Leon will take another one so that Merlin can be in it as well."
Hunith moved up a step and put her hands on Arthur's shoulders as he stood in front of her. Gaius was beside Hunith and Miles and Leon on the other side. Merlin raised the camera and looked at the group. Arthur seemed a little out of his depth so he said, "Blood brothers!" and depressed the button as Arthur looked directly at him and smiled.
Years later, whenever Merlin looked at that photo it used to fill him with happiness. Arthur grinning, his mother smiling, Gaius thrilled to have been able to pull off such a surprise and Miles and Leon, looking quite pleased with themselves.
Leon took a photo of the group with Merlin in it and then Miles then took a photo of Gaius and Hunith and the two boys. There were smiles all around.
Gaius said, "I'm ready for tea and maybe an ice cream and we have a lot to talk about. Miles has some great news to tell you."
They walked out onto the large steps above the courtyard and Merlin nipped down the stairs to get a couple more shots. He smiled to himself, Arthur was still hanging onto Hunith not in a forced way but as if it was the most natural thing in the world to hold hands with a friend's mother.
Gaius offered to drive them down to the little café in his car but the boys said that they'd walk with Leon. They parted company. Miles, Hunith and Gaius to the car while the others took off down the stairs through the castle wall to the street below. At the intersection of the road back to the institute, Leon left them explaining that he was on duty checking on boys who were supposed to be packing. "You continue down to the café and get a table for five."
Merlin said, "Thanks for meeting my mother in Paris and keeping it a secret. It was the best one ever, wasn't it Arthur?"
Arthur grinned and giving him the thumbs up said, "You're all right, Leon!"
"Thank you, kind Sirs," Leon said laughing.
By the time they had waited for a table with a lake view, Gaius's car had arrived. Arthur stood up and Merlin followed him as the rest of the party arrived. They settled around the table, Hunith with Merlin and Arthur on each side opposite Gaius and Miles. Miles nodded this had gone better than expected; he had had contingency plans should Arthur have suddenly been unable to cope. He was proud of the young man.
Teas and drinks were ordered and everyone also had ice cream.
Merlin said, "So, how did you know where we would be? I'm so glad you came as now when I talk about the château, my teachers and Arthur, you will know them."
Gaius said, "Miles, maybe now would be a good time to reveal the rest of the surprise."
Arthur turned to Miles, "You were in on this as well?"
Miles laughed, "Oh, Arthur the phones have been ringing off the hook between England and Pierrefonds over the last week. He nodded at Gaius saying, "We will all be staying an extra four days here after the school closes. Then we are going to continue visiting France as your father, Arthur, has arranged for us to spend a week in Paris." He saw Merlin glance at Hunith so he said, "The four of us."
"What about Gaius?" Merlin wanted to know.
Gaius said, "I've spent enough time in Paris to last me a lifetime."
"You could write a visitors' aid, 'Gaius's Little Guide'!"
"Thank you, Arthur, for that vote of confidence…" Everyone around the table laughed.
A little voice said, "Gaius, I don't have to worry about getting the right trains as I'll be with my mother,"
"I told you not to worry."
"But I was…just a little bit…"
"Merlin, I could have seen you all the way home, couldn't I, Miles?" said Arthur.
"You probably could have, Arthur, but then again, I would have worried that you would have ended up in Timbuktu instead of Cardiff." Gaius and Hunith laughed but both Arthur and Merlin wanted to know where that was. Miles continued, "It's in West Africa in Mali and in the wrong direction completely to Wales."
Ice creams finished, Merlin decided he'd like to show his mother the paddleboats and the ducks on the lake. Arthur held back as they went to leave but Merlin grabbed his hand and said, "Don't be silly, you're supposed to come too. All right, Miles?"
Miles knew that with Merlin in charge, Arthur was quite safe in Pierrefonds. He nodded and said, "But remember, your supper is at six and you'll have a lot to tell Lance and Gawaine."
Arthur grinned, suddenly he was beginning to feel as if he again belonged to someone. Deep down, he knew that his mother would have accepted Merlin, just as his mother was accepting him. It was nice to walk around the village as if he was part of a real family. Maybe, some of the tourists glancing at him might think that Hunith was his mother and Merlin was his younger brother. He smiled to himself the latter was already true as of yesterday.
They wandered around the village looking at the shops and various houses, always under the protection of the château which seemed to spread its turrets and towers as wings.
Supper was fun, Lance and Gawaine were shocked. Merlin's mother had arrived and they were to meet her the following day.
Gawaine said, "Gosh, I hope that your room is tidy as I'm sure that she will want to visit it."
"We have plenty of time to clean it up as we're staying until Tuesday and then we're going back to Paris before going home or maybe to Timbuktu," said Merlin with a grin at Arthur. Arthur got him in a headlock and Rupert cleared his throat loudly and Arthur grinning let him go.
Hunith was dining out with Gaius. They talked non-stop, Hunith thanking Gaius for sponsoring Merlin and helping with his extras while at the institute.
"He's a natural, Hunith. So willing to please and what he has accomplished with Arthur is almost miraculous."
"I was pleasantly surprised as I was worried about meeting him especially in the château with all its memories. But Miles put me at ease, telling me that if Arthur became too stressed, he would walk with him back to the school. But he was fine, he's a lovely boy."
"I think he feels safe with you as Merlin is very like you and he is picking up on the similarities."
"Gaius, you always knew exactly what to say."
Arthur went to sleep dreaming that Hunith was holding his hand but when he looked up at her, it was his own mother and she whispered, "Arthur, I'm so proud of you…" He smiled and turned over.