A/N: According to ff's word count the last oneshot had 1,337 words :)
Nance: *facepalm* I completely forgot when I typed it up, but I was originally going to have it wear through at the bottom (so Merlin would've fallen unintentionally rather than on purpose). Perhaps I'll go back and fix that later, while trying to preserve the word count, of course.
I liked Book girl fan's guess so I stuck in a little something extra for it :)
This one turned out a bit weird- probably because of the distinct lack of Hunith in the actual show and my resultant uncertainty in portraying her (she got a bit unruly here)
Next time: "Something to Hide"
Farming had never been a favorite pursuit of his, but every once in a while Merlin found it... therapeutic.
It was nice to feel a connection to the land, to take part in producing life-giving food for his mother and former neighbors.
And so he found himself in the village's common plot; weeding, watering, and harvesting.
The sun was just beginning to top the trees as Merlin reached the center of the little field and he took a moment to rest, setting down his basket of wheat and leaning up against the scarecrow.
Arthur Pendragon himself had helped plant the straw man after Kanan's attack left the previous one in a shambles.
The scarecrow was dressed in a set of Merlin's clothing from his early teenage years, identical to his current garb down to the neckerchief.
The then-prince had joked that the mannequin filled the clothes out better than the servant did.
He had also carved a ridiculous looking face on the turnip he'd used as a head and proclaimed it 'looked better than the original'.
Thankfully that turnip had long since rotted, but his mother had replaced it with a similarly carved lump of wood.
"Excuse me." He said, before wiping the sweat from his brow onto the scarecrow's neckerchief.
"Talking to your doppelganger?"
The warlock spun to see his mother approaching, hair flying in wild tangles due to the morning's wind.
"Good morning, mother. What are you doing out here? I told you I'd take care of our share of the work today."
He smiled despite his light attempt at reprimanding her.
She beamed back at him.
"I know you did, but that doesn't mean I can't come out to see you, does it? Here, I brought you something to fill your stomach until breakfast is ready."
Hunith handed him an apple and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek- only to have her hair blow into her eyes and mouth.
Eyes laughing at her indignant expression, Merlin gently brushed the dark locks aside and kissed her himself.
"What happened to your head scarf?"
The older woman waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh, you know, it just wore out. Haven't had the opportunity to replace it yet."
"Well then, here."
He took the blue cloth from around his own neck- thankfully freshly laundered only an hour or two ago- and tied it lovingly about his mother's head, tucking in the stray brunette tresses as he went.
"Oh, Merlin, I couldn't-"
"Just accept it, mother. Please allow me to do at least this one small thing for you."
"You know you do much more for me than that, my boy. Not that you have to."
"But I want to. I love you, mum."
"And I love you, Merlin."
The two stood in the field for several moments, simply holding each other and basking in the time together, before reluctantly parting to continue their chores for the day.
"I'll have the morning meal ready by the time you're done. Be sure to bring in some wheat so I can make bread for lunch."
"Of course I will, so long as you break out that jar of preserves I saw in the cupboard."
He grinned at her, knowing she must have gotten it with this visit in mind- preserves were a favorite of his.
"And what makes you think I'm going to share those, hm?" She taunted.
Hitching an eyebrow, Merlin leaned forward. "Well I suppose I could always... force it out of you!"
He snatched Hunith up in his arms and began twirling her around in the air.
"Stop! Stop! I'm getting dizzy!" She laughed and clutched at his shoulders, causing the man to lose his balance and sending the pair to the ground in a giggling heap.
"Mother, you're squashing me!" Merlin protested, his grin wider than ever.
"Shame on you, saying such a thing to your mother!" She tweaked his nose and sat up.
"Now back to work with you, and clean up before you come in to eat- you're a mess!"
"And whose fault is that?" He called after her.
"You've no one to blame but yourself, Merlin!"
He wanted to protest, but wisely decided to just give up.
He may be the most powerful warlock to ever walk the earth, but he was no match for Hunith.