Hello, and welcome to another Merlin story. This takes part in the Hut in the Forest AU that I've fallen in love with. Merlin belongs to the BBC.

Chapter 1

The Desk

Freya slowly opened her eyes and stared up at the pale blue sky with a few fluffy clouds to make the sky somewhat interesting to see. The sun was blazing high in the sky, a few birds were chirping in the nearby trees. She sat up and looked around to see how far away she was from the hut and frowned when she had noticed how far away she was. She frowned before picking herself up and started to make her journey back to the hut, she knew the forest and had roamed the forest at night. She knew the forest better than Merlin did and was rather proud of that accomplishment.

As she walked through the forest she felt the wind play with her hair, blowing it in front of her face and forcing her to remove her own hair from her eyes and lips. The wind was teasing her while she walked but she didn't let that stop her, the rustling of the leaves in the trees that surrounded her brought a smile to her face. The sudden flapping of wings as birds took flight to join the wind as they soared to join others in other trees. She looked up with a smile on her face as she walked, the morning stroll was refreshing and always welcomed in her eyes.

By the time she arrived at the hut, her stomach growled at the idea of having breakfast with Merlin before settling down for a sleep. She pushed the door and walked inside the hut and felt the warm air hit her face, she closed the door behind her and noticed how oddly quiet the hut was. She couldn't hear Merlin in the kitchen making food, or a turn of a page or even the fire burning in their fireplace. She was greeted by silence. Was Merlin still asleep? She walked towards the bedroom and pushed the door and found that it was empty, the bed hadn't been used.

"Where have you fallen asleep this time?" She asked with a huff before leaving the room. As she looked in rooms she smiled when her eyes noticed a familiar mop of black hair. She had found him, leaning over his desk with his head resting on his arms, a book was peaking out from under his arms. Late night reading. She walked over to Merlin and gently placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him. She tried to laugh silently as she heard the waking groan from Merlin as he was pulled away from his sleep.

"Merlin, you fell asleep while reading," Freya whispered to him.

"Did…I finish…it?" Merlin asked as he let Freya pull him up so he was resting against the back of the chair rather than the more uncomfortable position he was previously in.

Freya glanced down at the book and giggled. She noticed that Merlin wasn't quite at the end of the book and in a few pages left of the story before he was finished. She looked at his face and smiled more when she noticed him drifting off to sleep again. Shaking her head slightly she held his hand and gently pulled him up onto his feet before moving behind him to guide him towards the bedroom. As she held onto him she could feel his magic radiating from him and into her, warm and feeling like it was thanking her.

Arriving at the bedroom, Merlin's magic pushed the door open and Freya continued to guide Merlin towards the bed before pushing him down onto it and watched as he bounced. Freya shook her head with her smile never leaving her face. Freya picked up her sleeping clothes and left to get changed. Not long after she slipped under the covers and started to drift off to sleep before Merlin decided to move, wriggling under the covers and closer to her. She felt his arms snake around her and snuggled up to her side.

"Sleep well Merlin," Freya whispered.

"You too, my sweet Freya," Merlin whispered in return.

Merlin was the first to wake up out of the pair and smiled. Feeling himself blessed to wake up to see his sleeping girlfriend with a bright smile on her face. Freya must be having a great dream which made Merlin happy to think about, he felt her arms wrapped around him too. He was unhappy that he needed to leave the bed to prepare something for the pair of them to eat. He didn't care what the time was but he knew that he didn't want to disturb Freya from her sleep. It was moments of peace like this that Merlin happily let his magic out and watched as it did what it wanted to do, he watched as the magic took its own form, multiple blue butterflies started to flutter around the room. Merlin smiled as he watched them flutter around before watching some land on Freya before some fluttered away to further explore the room.

Freya stirred as a butterfly landed on her nose. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see Merlin watching the butterflies. She reached up and pecked Merlin's cheek, making the warlock blush. "You're really warm," Freya spoke softly before giggling.

"What's funny?" Merlin asked innocently.

"You asked me earlier if you finished reading the book…but you didn't. You fell asleep at the very end of the book," Freya giggled as she watched the realisation dawned on Merlin's face. Freya's smile turned mischievous as she held onto Merlin, preventing him from escaping the bed to run off to finish the book. "Oh no, this is your punishment for sleeping at your desk~" Freya laughed as she watched the pout from Merlin.

"Do the butterflies make up for it?" Merlin asked as they both looked at the butterflies that represented Merlin's magic when it was calm and at peace.

"They do slightly."

"Slightly?" Merlin asked before Freya repositioned herself and rested her head on his chest, smiling when she heard his beating heart.

"Mind if we stay like this a little longer?" She asked quietly before she felt his fingers combing through her hair.

"I can finish that book later," he responded as he stroked her hair. Both happy and content with each other.

I love this ship so much, so I'm super excited to write more of them and this AU. xD

Thank you for reading and stay safe out there. :)

The Hut in the Forest Series:

The Hut in the Forest, The Prince Comes to Visit, Forging Friendships, To Sleep In Ones Bed.