Chapter 35

Elyan left the afternoon after the opening party to go home to Mary and Angel. That very morning, however, as they were sitting all together eating breakfast, Gwaine got out his phone.

"Hey, you can't teach our daughter not to use technology while we're eating and then do it yourself," Percival scolded.

"Naughty daddy," Eira giggled.

"I know, I'm being really naughty," Gwaine looked at Eira, "Never, ever be like me, ok?"

"Ok, daddy."

Gwaine laughed, "Good girl." He opened something on his phone and handed it to Merlin, "Look what's on the news this morning. BBC, not American. Our country's proud of you, Merls."

Someone had clearly recorded Merlin's speech from the previous day and either uploaded it themselves or sold it to the press. Merlin frowned a bit, "Great, my face is all over the news again."

He passed the phone around the table. "There are some really nice responses," Gwen said when she and Morgana were looking at the article, "Well done, Merlin."

After breakfast, they went back to the main hotel they were staying in and Leon drove Elyan to the airport. When he got back they went for a little walk in a park and spent the rest of the day planning the remainder of their holiday. It had felt unfair to do it with Elyan around when he wouldn't be staying to take part in anything. They were close enough to Yellowstone National Park that they wanted to make at least a couple of visits and there were plenty of other interesting places to go on hikes or admire the landscapes. There were museums, geysers, hot springs, botanic gardens. Will and Eira were particularly desperate to go to the Dinosaur Centre which they'd seen on a leaflet in the hotel's reception. The look on their faces when told it was a few hours' drive away was so heart-breaking that they had to promise to take them at some point. There was a beautiful spring nearby to the centre so they would all go together.

For five of the next seven days, they were up early to drive somewhere and go for a walk. While it was tiring, it was never boring because everywhere they went was different. Being early February it was freezing cold and there was snow on many of the paths but in many ways it worked in their favour. It provided endless snowball fights and snowman building competitions and there was a trail of snow angels everywhere they went.

"Mummy," Belle whined one night when they were all out for dinner in a little diner close to their hotel, "Do we have to go for a walk tomorrow? I'm tired."

"So am I," Will said, "And my legs hurt."

"Can we stay in the hotel?" Eira begged, "Please."

"I'm with them," Gwaine said, "I'm pooped."

"The weather's awful tomorrow anyway," Leon said, "We might as well stay in."

The remaining week was a lot less intense in terms of the walking and exploring. They still made sure to get out of the hotel at least once a day but it was rarely for more than a few hours. Then, they were on their way back to Albion for the first day they'd be open to the public. Alistair was already there, along with most of the staff. There was just enough time for them to drop their bags off in their rooms before guests were starting to arrive. Merlin, Morgana and the kids sat outside out of the way. Luke was completely fascinated by a group of ducks on the water and followed them the entire circumference of the lake just to watch them. Will and Eira were happy to chat to each other and ignore the others while Belle sat on her mother's knee, talking to her and Merlin.

"Belle, did you finish that maths work we started yesterday?" Morgana asked her. All the adults had been helping the kids get through their school work while they'd been away.

"I got stuck," she said sheepishly.

"We'll sort it," Morgana promised.

"Do we have to go back home?" Belle asked, "I like it here."

"Do you not miss your friends at school?"

"I like being here with everyone."

"What about Vilia?"

Belle looked conflicted, "Can we at least come back?"

"Of course we'll come back," Morgana assured her, "Maybe we'll get to go somewhere new, too."

A loud thud and crying had Morgana and Merlin's heads shooting up. They'd been keeping an eye on Luke to make sure he stayed away from the water- or ice, given how cold it was- but Morgana had been distracted by Belle's conversation and Merlin had changed his eye-line momentarily to check on Will and Eira instead. It seemed like Luke had taken the opportunity to get closer to the side of the lake and watch the ducks he was so fascinated by. All it took was a tiny slip of his foot to have him sliding across the ice instead of standing firmly on the grass.

Merlin got there before Morgana. She was trying to keep the other three from getting scared. Thankfully, the ice seemed to be thick enough to hold Luke, at least for the time being.

"Can he swim?" Merlin asked Morgana urgently.

She was staring at the ice beneath Luke as he cried, waiting in terror for it to crack.

"Morgana, can he swim? Morgana!"

"No," she breathed, "Not yet."

Merlin cursed quietly, "I'll get him," he promised, "Keep back and keep the kids away."

Luke was sobbing but it was impossible to tell whether it was because he was hurt or because the ducks he loved so much had flown away.

"Luke," Merlin said calmly while trying to find the safest and quickest route to where he was, "Luke, look at me, it's ok."

"I didn't mean to," he sniffled, "The ducks!"

"I know, it's ok," Merlin took a step down a little bank so he was right beside the frozen lake. He was debating whether or not to take his leg off. It would make him lighter and less likely to break the ice but it would also make it more difficult to move quickly and securely enough to get to Luke. To test it out, he placed his prosthetic leg onto the surface of the ice and slowly lowered his weight onto it. Nothing.

Merlin sighed in relief and stepped onto the lake completely. "Luke, do you think you can move towards me at all?" he asked, only getting a whimper in response.

"Merlin," Morgana's voice shook, "The ice."

Merlin's eyes flicked to beneath Luke and he forced himself not to look scared. Cracks were starting to appear in the ice, small for now but undeniably growing. "Luke, I really need you to listen to me," Merlin said, "Will you listen?"

He looked up with wide eyes and nodded.

"Ok, good boy," Merlin smiled, "I'm coming to you, you don't have to move but can you stand up for me? As slowly as you can, ok, and if you hear anything crack, stop."

"Ok," Luke whispered.

"Morgana I can't watch him, make sure he's moving slowly." Merlin turned his focus to getting across the ice without slipping. His knees were locked and he'd never quite appreciated how difficult it would be to walk over ice with a prosthetic leg. His thighs were burning from the control it was taking to move forward, little bit at a time. He could hear Morgana talking to her son as he struggled to his feet as best he could.

By the time Merlin reached him, Leon and Gwaine had come outside and were standing with Morgana. The ice was thinner as Merlin got further onto the lake as the sun had been shining on it all morning. It was moving underneath his feet so Merlin glanced back quickly to see Leon shuffling towards him too. Gwaine clearly wanted to join him and help but Morgana was holding him back, probably telling him that another person would have them all falling into the freezing water below.

Leon was moving a lot faster than Merlin- a combination of worry for his son and having two functioning human legs helping him out. They reached Luke at about the same time and the cracking noises were now clearly audible as the ice struggled under their weight. Leon and Merlin both took one of Luke's hands and started guiding him back the way they came. Given the size of the lake, they weren't really that far onto it but it had taken a considerable while to get to him.

Merlin was watching the ice carefully as they moved and spotted a crack forming just in time to be able to do something about it. He pushed Leon and Luke forward, using such force that he fell back. By some miracle, the only ice that broke was that between them meaning Luke and Leon were on the side closest to dry land and everyone else but Merlin was stuck in the middle, separated from everyone by freezing water.

"Are you ok?" he asked Leon.

"Fine, you?" he carefully got to his feet, slipping a few times, then picked Luke up too. The little boy's lower legs were a little wet from the splash but it was nothing compared to what would have happened if they'd all been submerged.

"Yeah," Merlin said thoughtfully, standing as well, "This is a bit of a problem."

"Don't move," Leon said. He escorted Luke to his mother then came back with Gwaine to help Merlin.

"This is why you should leave being the hero to other people," Gwaine advised, "You just end up in trouble."

"Maybe now isn't the time," Leon said, "Options?"

"Go around it," Merlin said, "But the ice is so thin on either side, I don't know if it'll hold."

"Not worth the chance," Leon said, "You could turn around and go straight across the middle to the opposite side."

"It's practically all melted in the middle," Merlin said, "I'd have to skirt around the edge, and we don't know what it's like anywhere else."

"You could swim," Gwaine said, "It's not far, just a few strong breast strokes and we'll pull you out the other side."

"It's too cold," Leon said, "If anything went wrong or the temperature shocked him, he'd drown."

Merlin nearly laughed, "So the only other choice is…"

"Jump," Leon said, "Before the hole is too big for you to clear. We just have to hope the ice will hold on this side."

Merlin took a deep breath, "I'm guessing it's too risky for a run-up."

"Probably."

"Standing jump it is, then," Merlin sighed, "You'd better catch me."

Leon and Gwaine planted their feet as firmly as they could and braced themselves, arms outstretched.

"Arthur does not find out about this," Merlin said, "As far as anyone else is concerned, Luke got stranded and Leon rescued him, ok?"

"Ok, just jump," Gwaine urged.

Merlin closed his eyes briefly, swung his arms back and forth a few times to try and get enough momentum and jumped as far as he possibly could. Leon and Gwaine grabbed his wrists and upper arms and pulled him towards them, taking all his weight between them when he landed. All three of them scrambled to get to the bank as quickly as they could, Morgana helping to heave them up to the grass.

"Well, that was needlessly dramatic," Gwaine remarked, ruffling Luke's hair, "Ok, little man?"

Luke nodded and hugged Merlin's leg, "I'm sorry," he cried.

Merlin picked him up and gave him a cuddle, "It's ok. Was it worth it to see the ducks?"

"Yeah!"

"Then I don't mind. Just watch your footing, ok?" Merlin handed Luke to his father and all of them walked back together. Along the way, they made up a little pact, not to tell anyone what had happened so they wouldn't worry.

"Where've you all been?" Gwen asked when they got inside.

Everyone shared subtle looks before Morgana decided, "We were just getting some fresh air."

"Come on," Gwen took Will's hand, "Homework time."

"That goes for you two, too," Leon said to his kids.

"And you, princess," Gwaine said to Eira.

"Where's Arthur?" Merlin asked as they all started to guide their children to their respective rooms.

"With Percy and Alistair in the offices upstairs," Gwen supplied.

Merlin made his way up, admiring the inside of the building as he did every time he walked through it.

"Merlin! I was just coming to look for you," Arthur dragged him into the office, "Eoghan's on the phone from the offices back home. Needs to speak to you."

"Why?"

Arthur shrugged, picked up a phone from one of the desks and handed it to Merlin.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Merlin, there's a man here, he wants to speak to you."

"Who is it?" Merlin asked with a frown.

"Says his name's Mordred."

Merlin's face dropped, "Erm," he glanced at Arthur who was watching in concern.

"Shall I pass you over?" Eoghan asked.

"Sure," Merlin decided, "But don't stay in the reception while he's talking to me. Say you've got something important to file upstairs or something and go make a coffee. Arthur'll text you when you can come back down."

"Why?"

"Just do it. But don't be suspicious."

"Ok," he said uncertainly, "I'll sort that now. Here, I'll pass you over."

Merlin took a deep breath and bit his lip while he waited for Mordred to get the phone. "Hello, Merlin. I don't think we've ever spoken directly."

Merlin's voice was cold, "I don't think I've ever wanted to speak to you directly."

"I need to talk to you."

"That's what you're doing."

"The bombs I put in your house and Uther's house," he spat Uther's name, "They weren't real. They never would have gone off or hurt anyone."

"What do you mean?"

"They were duds," Mordred said, "I didn't want to kill anyone. Neither of them ever would have gone off but Catrina and Agravaine couldn't know that. I had to make them look real so they wouldn't find out."

"You let yourself go to prison for them?"

"I didn't have a choice! They would have done something else if I didn't at least pretend."

"So should I be thanking you?"

"No. I still did bad things. I just thought that you needed to know no one was in danger that morning."

"Except Morgana. You set fire to her house."

"It wasn't me! But let's just say it wasn't luck she wasn't in when it went up in flames."

Merlin was silent, trying to figure out what to think and say.

"I only wanted to apologise and congratulate you," Mordred said, "I haven't been out of prison long but I've been researching everything you and your friends have done. It's amazing."

"Thank you. You're not expecting credit, are you?"

Mordred laughed, "No. It just felt wrong not to contact you at all."

"I appreciate it."

"I really am sorry, Merlin. To you and Arthur. I can't undo anything we did but-"

"Yeah," Merlin was unsure of how to behave.

"Ok," Mordred said awkwardly, "Goodbye, Merlin."

"Bye."

Merlin put the phone down and sighed, "Text Eoghan," he asked Arthur, "Tell him he can go back downstairs."

"Who was that?" Arthur asked as he got his phone out.

"Mordred."

"What?"

Merlin nodded, "He wanted to apologise. Apparently those bombs we put in our and your dad's house weren't genuine. They never would have exploded."

"You believe him?"

"There's no harm in believing him, I guess. I'm never going to speak to him or see him again so it's not like I have to think long and hard about trusting him. It makes no difference either way."

"I suppose not."

They walked out the office together.

"All the kids are doing homework. Want to go for a walk?"

They went to their room quickly so Arthur could get his coat and then they made their way out the hotel. There was a walk that went behind the lake and went in a loop round back to the hotel. They walked hand-in-hand, not talking much but enjoying each other's company and the surrounding scenery. It felt a little strange not to have the dogs with them on a walk- they'd felt like that the entire time they'd been in America and they'd felt the same when they went to New Zealand a few years ago.

The hotel's opening had gone extremely smoothly so none of them had any worries about leaving Alistair in charge while they went back home. Their flight was leaving at pretty much midnight which made getting the kids through customs and security both difficult and easy in different ways. Some of them, when tired, resorted to being loud and fussing and over-excited while the others were just quiet and sleepy. Either way, the second they were on the plane, sitting still in the warmth with a blanket, all four of them were out like a light.

Arthur was feeling slightly better about this journey. After the success of the flight to America, his unease from the disaster on the way to Ireland had somewhat been put aside and he was much calmer. Not that that stopped him from accepting one of Merlin's sleeping pills when offered so he'd get through the night.

Even with all the lights off, the rest of the passengers asleep and quiet, relaxing music playing through his earphones, however, Merlin found himself unable to rest. He didn't feel unwell or anything, there was just an anxious pit in his stomach which kept his mind buzzing. Arthur was in the window seat with the little shutter closed so Merlin couldn't look out the window to pass time. Even if he could, it was pitch black outside and cloudy so there wouldn't have been much to see. He'd considered taking a pill like Arthur had but he knew he'd have to wake up for the rest of his medicine in a few hours anyway and it wasn't really worth it. The change of time zones had messed with his schedule for when he'd take his meds. Normally at home, he'd take one in the morning at around nine and then one in the evening at around seven. In favour of keeping a routine instead of gradually altering when he took them, Merlin had been waking up in the middle of the night at two to take them and then having some with lunch at midday. It was a faff but it meant that once they got home he wouldn't have to change back to his old routine. It would be exactly as he was used to from the start.

Even a couple of hours later once Merlin had taken his meds and was reclined in his seat, something was stopping him from falling asleep. He just didn't know what.