A Marriage that Started a Legend

by IJustShowedUp

Follows canon but with my own arranged marriage spin on it. What happens when Hunith makes a mistake and is forced on the run with her infant son? What happens when Camelot knights find her twenty years later? What happens when Arthur learns he's betrothed to a peasant boy? Will Merlin be able to stand among royalty? Will these two different boys survive each other? Review!

1. The Beginning

Have you ever been terrified before?

Not scared, everyone's been scared at one point or another. But truly terrified. As if your whole world was closing in on you and you had absolutely no way to stop it. The pure panic as if you could feel your entire life ending and yet, you were still living. Forced to endure as everything you thought you know completely changed in the blink of an eye.

He thought he knew what being terrified was. He had been scared before and thought he knew but as it would turn out, he didn't know anything.

There was a kingdom who's ruler was a man known as Cenred. But this king isn't very important at this point in time.

What's actually important is the small and insignificant little village right on the edge of his kingdom. It was known by the name, Ealdor.

It was a small place with barely a hundred people in total. The village had a handful of huts scattered around in no semblance of order. The huts were all ransacked and looked like they were falling apart. There was a simple dirt road that was the only way through the village. Going one way, somebody would have to walk ten miles before reaching the next village and it was only slightly bigger than their own. On the other side was nothing but forest. You would have to ride a horse for an entire day before reaching the boarder. Then you would have to ride another two days before reaching the grand city of Camelot.

The point is, it was a very sleepy little place.

The village people consisted mostly of farmers. Actually, that was pretty much everybody. Most of the adults had their jobs, anything that would help out with the upcoming harvest. That harvest was the focus of the village. Without it, the whole place would starve. People worked until they were to old to do so anymore. And then they worked some more because the village couldn't afford not to have the extra hands. Even the youngest child understood that and did what they could until they were big enough to work in the field themselves. Everybody pitched in and not a single hand was idle.

It was a predictable little place. Not much of anything changed in their day to day lives. The sun would rise at the same time everyday and the people would wake. They would leave their homes after a small breakfast and get straight to work. Even with everybody working at all hours of the day, there was barely enough food to go around daily.

The winters were the harshest. Nobody was sure who would pull through it. There was always a handful of deaths. The harvest had stopped growing during the cold months and the food in storage never seemed to last as long as it should have. That was when it was the most dangerous time for the village. When winter reached its peak and the food had dwindled down to barely scraps.

Nobody kept food in their houses, nobody could afford to keep their own when everyone needed it desperately. It was all kept in storage underground to keep it safe. Then it would later be distributed evenly to those who needed it the most to survive. Those with small children were always first in line. Then they were followed by the elderly who probably wouldn't make it much longer without help. Then the other well-bodied folks would follow in line trying to get their small bit of food that would have to be stretched to last throughout the day.

This village didn't have any luxuries. It was barely holding itself together as it was. But still, they lived through the struggles. Well, at least most of them did. They barely had enough food to go around. And heaven forbid if you got sick. The closest physician was a good thirty miles away. It was practically a death sentence if you got an infection or worse. The children barely got a chance to be children, having to help lend a hand as soon as they were old enough. The work load alone was long, hard, and tedious.

But it was their life. What could they do but live it?

The day had been normal. The villagers woke around the same time they always did. They worked late into the day and all the way until the sun started going down. The harvest was left behind only because it got to dark to see. The people returned to their homes and fell into a heavy sleep, exhausted as always after having worked to the bone.

That was why nobody saw them when they came.

It was only two or three men. They hadn't wanted to make to much of a scene by bringing a whole crowd of soldiers, preferring to get in and out while they could. This was another kingdom that they had just entered and things could turn ugly if this ended badly. Not from the villagers though. If he caught word that Camelot had breached his boarders, they could be retaliated against by King Cenred who was currently residing in his own castle hundreds of miles away.

Hopefully, they wouldn't attract his attention. As long as they could get what they came for without anyone noticing.

These three knights left their horses tied to a set of trees at the edge of the village. It was a startling sight if anybody had been awake. The three men entering their home. It wasn't often that strangers passed through their little village. It was even stranger when considering who these strangers were and why they were here.

They were dressed completely in armor with gleaming swords strapped to their sides. People rarely saw knights in this part of the kingdom. Their village was to small, to insignificant, for their own knights to pass through. Why would another kingdom's do so?

The knights from their own kingdom would wear a dark green color on their chest to signify where they came from. But these knights? The color on their chest were a vivid red, brighter than any cloth anyone in this village could afford to have. In the center was a golden dragon blowing a lick of flames out of its mouth. The insignia was the crest of the Pendragon's, otherwise known as the royal family of the next kingdom on the other side of the forest.

The Kingdom of Camelot.

Why would knights from Camelot come to their little village? But it wasn't something there that they were after. It was someone.

Each knight wore a stern expression, completely serious with their mission. They were the best knights that Camelot had to offer and they were the ones that King Uther had assigned to this mission. To find this boy and bring him to the protection and safety of Camelot castle. They weren't here to play around and weren't planning on returning empty handed either.

The boy they were after had just turned nineteen. Honestly, they should have picked him up a year ago to bring him to the palace when he had turned eighteen and was officially considered a man. But when they had arrived at where he was supposed to be living, him and his mother had been long gone for many years, disappearing in the wind. The king hadn't bothered keeping tabs on them all those years so it wasn't surprising to find them gone.

But the king was furious that the mother had taken her son and ran. So he dispatched a small group of his men to track them down with orders to take the boy and kill the mother if she didn't comply. The king wasn't in a hurry for them to be found though, disgusted as he was with the thought of a peasant joining his family. It was a matter of pride though really, a peasant mother with a small child thinking that she could just outrun her king. It was outrageous.

He was also honor bound and therefore, had no choice. He couldn't hide the contract, not when his council were there when it was signed. It had been many years since their agreement and the children were getting older.

A year ago, the prince was twenty and still considered young so it hadn't been a big deal that some time had passed and the boy still hadn't been found. But now the prince was turning twenty one this year and everything was different.

The kingdom was uneasy, restless and stirring anxiously. Uther was getting up there in age although he still had many years left to rule barring any unfortunate incidents. His son Arthur was next in line to take the throne but he was still young. He had been trained all of his life to be a king but he was also just a boy.

He was polite and did his duty well to visiting nobles but it was no secret that he got a little to friendly with their daughters. He treated the servants like they were pests or his playthings. Nobody had the guts to say it to his face that they were uncertain about him being their next king.

Uther was well aware of the problem though and this was another reason the boy had to be tracked down. Arthur would learn responsibility through marriage. Everything changed when married and as much as Uther wanted to, he couldn't just choose a random princess for his son to settle down with. His son was honor bound to take another.

And that was why the knights had arrived in this village. They couldn't just say forget it and leave the woman and her child to live out their lives in peace. Legally, there could be no other. If word got out that there was a contract that hadn't been honored, then the people would cause an uprising. How could they trust a king who didn't keep his word, even if his word had been signed and documented back when he was young and foolish?

The knights slunk through the darkness of the streets. They only stopped when they reached a house on the edge of the village. It was just as much ransacked as all of the others. The house looked like it could fall in on itself at any given moment. The wood was old and practically rotting away.

The three knights looked at each other uncertain. "Are we sure this is the right place?" one of the knights asked quietly, making sure to keep his voice hushed as to not disturb the night air around them.

The lead knight in charge pulled out a crumbled piece of parchment and carefully unrolled it. It was a map of this village and true enough, it was the exact place that they were supposed to be at. He still looked up at the ransacked house and back to his map several times just to be sure. Finally, he couldn't stall anymore and rolled the parchment back up. "Yes, this is it."

He didn't look behind him at his two companions, keeping his eyes pinned to the house in front of him. More of a shack then a house honestly, but this was definitely the place. Behind him, the other two knights shared a concerned look. Were they really going to bring this common peasant to live with the royals of Camelot? If this was where he was from, then the court life would eat him alive.

But the king had given his orders and it wasn't their job to question him.

The head knight stepped up to the door. Then he raised his fist and knocked, loud and firm. There was a moment of silence when they thought that there wouldn't be an answer. But then the door opened just a crack and a middle aged woman peeked out. All they could see of her was her eye, looking out at them with caution and uncertainty.

The head knight stepped back, giving her some space. While his face was stern because this was a very serious conversation coming up, he did his best to appear as non-threatening as he could. Although his hand had also gone to his sword just in case she tried something. "Hunith?" He asked, just one last check to make sure that they truly had the right house. Not that he needed to be sure, he was already positive that they had reached their destination.

The woman was watching them with a cautious expression. She didn't answer for the longest time, weighing her options. She had always known this day would come, the day that knights from Camelot would arrive at her doorstep.

She thought briefly of lying, saying that they had the wrong house and could just be on their way. But even she knew that there was no point. It wouldn't be to hard to figure out that she had lied and then they would return. And she couldn't run either. Her body was thin from her lack of food, weak, and these men were trained knights. She wouldn't get far, especially considering that she wouldn't run without her son.

But she had also made an agreement many years ago, when she was to young to fully understand the consequences. Back before she had gotten pregnant and her entire world had shifted entirely to the little bundle growing inside her stomach. Staring up at the knights, she knew that she would have no choice but to honor her word. Even if it meant that her son had to pay the price.

So with the knights watching her sternly, she gave a solemn nod. They had finally found her after almost twenty years. She was honestly surprised that it had taken this long, having expected their arrival many times over the last several years. She had known that they would eventually though. It was only a matter of time before they came and took her son away to a place where she had no idea if he would be treated well. She would have no way of knowing if he was happy and she had no choice but to live with the foolish decision she had made when she had barely reached adulthood.

The head knight gave her a look just as solemn, hand tightening on the handle of his blade. She might try to make a break for it and he would have no choice but to cut her down where she stood as per the king's orders. The king hadn't been pleased that she had tried to escape the oath that she had made to him. But he was a reasonable man and was willing to let her go free, as long as the boy came back to Camelot.

"It's time."

Those were the words that the head knight spoke. He spoke in a calm and rational tone, leaving no room for argument. She had almost twenty years of peace, now the boy had to come with them.

Hunith bowed her head, whispering a prayer for strength for what would come next. "Please," she finally said, tears brimming in her eyes. "Give me a moment with my son. I...I never told him that this would happen someday. I need to let him know what's happening."

The head knight watched her solemnly. The king hadn't told the prince either, preferring to let him live his life as a free man before learning that he had been chained to another before he was even born. It wasn't to surprising that Hunith had done the same, especially since she had gone into hiding. The woman had the most to lose out of all of this. The possibility of never seeing her son again. Having to separate a mother from her child, it was almost cruel. But this woman had also tried to run and had almost succeeded if one of their informants hadn't stumbled upon her. The king had given his orders and this would be her punishment for trying to escape.

"I must insist on being with you while you inform him." The head knight said heavily. "My companions can wait outside but I must secure the boy. We need to be gone by morning." One of his companions had sent a letter to their king prematurely to let him know that the boy had been found. They needed to make sure that it was true. The king would have all of their heads if the letter turned out to be false.

Hunith flinched lightly at having this man watch what should be a private moment between mother and son. But she knew that she had no choice. She had given away all of her choices, and even her son's, that wretched day so many years ago. Her son was just so young. She knew that he was strong enough to survive anything, she had made sure of that the best way that she could. But he was a bit naive, he could also sometimes be reckless, and she wasn't sure that he could survive this new life that was being given to him. The kind of life that awaited him was the one thing, as a peasant, she hadn't been able to prepare him for.

"Of course." She finally answered the knight before her. Then she stepped back and tugged the door open just far enough for the one knight to squeeze inside the opening. Then there was a firm click as she shut the door quickly as if the other knights would forcibly push their way in.

The two knights took their places with their backs in front of the door, keeping guard in case the woman and her child did try to make a run for it. The two spent the next several hours in complete silence, being vigilant in case a threat was made against them or the occupants in the house.

But after several hours, one of the knights finally spoke up about his concerns. "Do you think this is really a good idea?" One of the knights asked quietly, almost to afraid to stir up the air around them. "Bringing in a peasant who will one day rule beside Arthur?"

The second knight looked contemplative but there was a touch of concern in his eyes, "Honestly? He's just a peasant. He's had no training, no idea how to be a royal, and Arthur isn't exactly a peach to be around either."

"Tristian!" The first knight hissed. "That is our prince that you are talking about."

"Exactly," the knight known as Tristian said firmly. "Which is why I'm happy that it's not me being forced into a marriage with him. I'm still stuck on the fact that this peasant is a boy. He can't exactly give the kingdom heirs someday, can he."

The first knight sighed heavily, "Yeah, that's the most shocking out of all of this I think. Does the prince even like boys?" It didn't occur to him to wonder if the peasant liked boys. He was just a common peasant, it was the prince that mattered most in the long run.

Tristian shrugged, "I know that he likes the ladies. I've walked in on him a time or two."

The other knight scoffed, "But everybody knows that. I don't think there's even been a rumor that the prince had an interest in a guy."

Tristian let out a low whistle, "Then I guess he's gonna be more shocked than anybody when we finally get his fiancé home and it's a guy."

The other knight shook his head, "I guess it's a good thing that we're not royal. We don't have to worry about all of this arranged marriage nonsense."

Tristian laughed, "Don't let the king hear you calling all of this nonsense. He will have our heads if he knew we were questioning his judgement."

"I'm not questioning his judgement," the other knight protested. "I'm questioning the judgement he had when he first became king."

Tristian waved a dismissive hand, "We were barely toddlers when that happened. And the king learned from his mistake about trusting certain people. I mean, this kid's parents aren't even noble's! Why did he make the contract with them?"

The other knight leaned in to whisper, "I heard it was because the king and the boy's father were good friends when they were young. The king was even seen showing him how to use a sword even though he wasn't a noble."

Tristian gasped, "No way, Dorian! The king showing a peasant how to use a sword? You know how strict he is about only nobles becoming knights. Why bother teaching him if he couldn't actually do anything with the skill?"

Dorian huffed, crossing his arms. "It's just something that I heard when we first got this mission. Besides, it was supposedly a really long time ago. Like before the First Code was created and even before the Great Purge."

Tristian snorted, "I still don't believe it. As if the king would waste time with a peasant."

Dorian scowled, not liking his words being questioned, "Well he may not have been a peasant! The boy's mother clearly is but I heard that his father could have been a noble himself. Not high up or anything but still related distantly to a noble family. Nobody knows for sure though, it was so long ago."

Tristian sighed, leaning his head back to thump on the door behind him, "And it's not as if we could ask anyone. The king would never tell us and most of the knights nowadays weren't around before The Great Purge."

Dorian turned his gaze up at the stars above them, "Well I guess we'll never know for sure. Either way, the boy's father ran off, he's clearly has had no noble training. We know that for sure. The king chased him out of the kingdom himself. So why have we wasted a year trying to track this kid down?"

Tristian looked at him annoyed, it hadn't been the first time he had asked that question since they had left Camelot all those months ago. "You know as well as I do that the king is honor bound to follow through with this. So by extension, Prince Arthur and this boy has to marry. And by the way, if the king and his father were such good friends, then why did he chase him out of the kingdom?"

Dorian waved a hand, not looking to interested in the conversation now, "Oh, they had some kind of falling out. But by then, the contract had already been signed and sealed." Dorian glanced back at the door behind them, still as silent as it had been since their leader had gone inside. "What do you think is taking them so long?"

Tristian shrugged, "Who knows, I hope the Prince isn't expecting much when we arrive. From the looks of this place," he gave a small sniff of disdain as he glanced around his surroundings, "He isn't going to be much to look at."

Dorian glared, "And how could you possibly know that? We haven't even seen him yet."

Tristian waved a dismissive hand, "We don't need to see him to know that the Prince will be unimpressed." Dorian looked at him confused so Tristian clarified. "He's a boy." He said slowly, as if talking to a toddler. "We could bring back the most handsome guy in all the land and he still wouldn't be interested in him."

Dorian flicked his eyes to the ground in front of him. "Oh yeah, I guess that's true. Arthur's not gonna be pleased to find out that he's gonna spend his entire life tied down to another man."

Tristian suddenly gave an over exaggerated gasp, grabbing Dorian by the shoulders and shaking him so hard his head went back and forth. "Do you know what this means? Arthur can't sleep with the noblewomen any more! Which means more opportunities for me!" He gave another gasp, dropping Dorian. "Oh, poor Arthur! The only relief he can get will have to be at the hands of this boy, unless he finds someone who doesn't care that he's married. But he's a prince so that shouldn't be to hard."

Dorian looked at him unimpressed, "Is sex all you think about?"

Tristian looked at him blankly, "What else is there?"

"Maybe that the prince is to be married to a boy." Dorian said dryly. "He won't be having relations with other girls when he's married."

Tristian gave him a doubtful look, "You think Prince Arthur will actually remain faithful? To a boy? A peasant boy at that?"

Now Dorian looked uncertain, "...Well surely even if he wants to, he wouldn't want the scandal. Besides, even the king would have his head if he brought dishonor to Camelot. And what could bring more dishonor than being caught with another when you're married."

Tristian snapped his fingers excited, "Being caught with two girls at the same time while you're married."

Dorian looked at him in disbelief, "Well I'm sure Prince Arthur definitely hasn't been doing threesomes!"

"I don't know," Tristian said with a playful shrug, grin wide on his face. "We haven't been home in over a year. He could have upped his game in that time."

Dorian gave him an annoyed look, "I highly doubt th-" he was cut off by the door suddenly swinging open. Both soldiers immediately straightened up, putting stern expressions onto their faces.

Several hours earlier, the head knight had just entered the hut. Hunith had shut the door very quickly behind him. There was a hook on either side of the door and Hunith put a long rectangle block of wood into place, locking them in the one roomed hut. It was a good lock, stronger than what her neighbors in this poor village probably had. It still wouldn't have been enough to keep them out. One strong kick could knock the door off its hinges.

"Mother?" A quiet voice said from behind them. "What's going on?"

The head knight turned around but it was to dark to see. At least until Hunith lit a candle. It was a small flame but the room was small enough that it was all that was needed.

In front of him was a boy, climbing up off the floor. The house didn't seem to have any beds. Just a pile of ragged blankets curled into one corner of the room. 'He's scrawny,' was the first thing he thought. 'Maybe to scrawny'.

The knight gave the boy an accessing glance. He was tall, just barely shorter than himself. But he was also small. While the knight's arms were lean with muscles, this boy had arms that were like noodles. He was thin to, the knight almost frowned in concern, wondering if he was being fed enough. But looking around, it was clear that the family didn't have much so food was probably more scarce than the knight was used to.

His clothes were ill-fitting. They looked to be hand-me-down's, and practically covered his entire frame. The brown pants were clearly to small, showing several inches of his ankles. The dark blue top was the exact opposite. It was at least a size or two to big, the boy's scrawny shoulders unable to fill it properly. It hung off of one of his shoulders.

He was a pale boy, paler than most people that he saw. His hair was a dark shade, though he couldn't tell if it was just a really dark brown or a jet black. But either way, it was wild, sticking in every direction as if he had never seen a comb in his life. Or as if he had just woken up which he probably had considering the late hour. His eyes, his eyes were what he could see the most clearly. They were a dark blue shade, several shades darker than what he remembered of the prince's own blue eyes. The boy was watching him with a concerned and wary expression.

The knight suddenly realized just how young this boy look. Even though he knew that he was nineteen at least, he probably could have passed for sixteen easily. When Arthur became king, would this boy be able to stand beside him? Looking at him now, he very much doubted that he would last that long. He almost felt sorry for the kid.

Hunith stepped forward, setting her lit candle into its placeholder in the center of a small table set up in an even smaller kitchen area. "Honey, I need you to come here. There's something that I have to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago." Guilt coated every word she spoke.

The boy frowned, looking worried as his mother gestured to one of the two chairs. Hunith took the other seat and the knight stood beside the table, seeing as there were no more available seats.

The boy sat in his chair before leaning across the table, whispering to his mother despite the knight being there and obviously able to hear every word. "Mother, what is going on? Who is this guy? Why is he here?" He fired off his questions in an almost ramble-like manner.

Hunith looked into her son's blue eyes, a solemn expression on her face. After almost twenty years of hiding it, it was finally time for the truth to come out. She reached out to take her son's hands in hers. They were just barely bigger than her own. Her baby was already considered a man but honestly, he would always be her baby. And it hurt, the pain stabbing at her heart. The next few minutes would be a struggle to get through. If it hurt this much right now, she couldn't even begin to imagine the pain she would be in after her son left. She could feel the tears brimming her eyes again, and saw the panic on her son's face. Hunith rarely cried, preferring to get things done than sitting around crying about it when it wouldn't change a thing.

Hunith took a shaky breath before finally starting, "Honey, this is..." she trailed off, realizing that she didn't know this particular knight's name. He was young, he wouldn't have been a knight back when she had lived in Camelot.

The knight stepped forward, giving the boy a serious look, "My name is Sir Leon. It's nice to finally meet you..." he trailed off. He didn't know the boy's name. The king hadn't even bothered to remember it after his birth, still annoyed that he had promised his son to a boy when he had assumed that the baby would be a girl. The wording the contract had used never mentioned gender. Him being born a boy hadn't made the contract null and void.

The boy jumped, startled at being addressed. He quickly stood and held out his hand, "Merlin, my name is Merlin."

Leon looked down at the hand in front of him before taking it to shake. The hand was actually softer than he would have expected. Most peasants had hands worn from years of hard work.

Hunith watched shakily as the two boys shook hands. She wanted so badly to throw something at the knight. To force him out of her home, away from her son. He was only here to take her child away and it caused her physical pain to know that she couldn't do anything to stop it.

Merlin turned away from the knight, but his eyes kept flickering back to him curiously. But he soon had his full attention on his mother and the stricken look on her face. "Mother?" He asked quietly, almost to scared to speak any louder. "What is happening?"

Hunith took a shaky breath as she reached out, taking her son's hands in hers again. She kept her eyes trained on the table, unable to handle looking him in the eye. "Merlin, I'm going to tell you a story."

Merlin frowned, "A story? Mother, I don't think now is a good time for a story." His eyes flickered back to the tall and imposing knight in their home.

Hunith blinked rapidly, trying to stop her flow of tears. She had to be strong, strong enough for the both of them. Her son needed her to be strong. After all, they were only in this mess because of what she had done. "Trust me, this is a story that you have to hear." She took in one more shaky breath before continuing. "Did you know that I used to live in Camelot when I was a girl?"

Merlin frowned, now paying full attention to what his mother was saying. This whole situation was making him uneasy, nervous. And the knight in the room wasn't helping matters in the least. "What? No, you never told me that before."

"I never told you because I never wanted you to know." Hunith admitted. "But these knights are from Camelot. Something happened not long after I fell pregnant with you. I had no choice but to run, and now they have finally found us."

Merlin straightened up, looking like he was going to start panicking, "Are you in trouble? Did you do something? Have they come to arrest you?" But he couldn't comprehend what his mother could have done that Camelot had sent knights after her nearly twenty years after she had left. His mother was the nicest woman around, always lending a helping hand to a neighbor in need. What could she possibly have done that was so bad?

Hunith glanced up at her son before quickly averting her eyes back to the table, feeling the guilt of what she had done in her very veins. "No Merlin. They haven't come for me. They've come for you."

Merlin felt an uneasy chill go down his spine, those words sounding ominous. It took him a moment to register exactly what his mother's words meant and he jolted up to his feet. "Come for me?! Why?! I haven't done anything." He looked at the knight in a panic. "I haven't done anything! You've clearly come to the wrong house."

But Merlin couldn't help but doubt it. If they had come for him, he could only think of one reason why. His magic. Oh god, had he screwed up somewhere and somebody had seen his magic? Sure, his friend Will knew but he hadn't told anybody else, had he?

Merlin knew that Camelot didn't treat those with magic to kindly but he didn't know how bad it was. But this also wasn't Camelot. They might still be on the boarder but their village was planted firmly on Cenred's side of the line. Camelot couldn't have crossed the boundary line just to grab a single magic user. Cenred didn't punish magic users like Camelot did. It was okay around here, but Merlin still had to keep his abilities hidden. Cenred was known for collecting sorcerer's, keeping them close at hand just to force them to use their powers for his own interests.

"Merlin!" Hunith's suddenly sharp voice grabbed his attention.

Merlin's head snapped back to look at his mother, startled. She had rarely ever used that voice with him. She had only used it a handful of times his entire life and that had mostly been when he was a small child. When she had to impress on him how important it was to keep his secret, that his magic could only ever be used when he was alone. And she had only spoken to him like that when she truly feared what would happen if he got caught, if Cenred's men caught wind of a sorcerer living in their village.

"Sit down." She said firmly, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Merlin opened his mouth to argue anyway but his mother gave him a stern look. His mouth immediately snapped closed before he took his seat again.

Hunith took a heavy breath before she continued. "Now Merlin. I need you to pay very close attention. And know just how sorry I am."

Merlin frowned, "Sorry? What on earth for?"

"Because I made a grave mistake back then. And you are going to have to pay for my mistake." Merlin felt a chill go down his spine again.

"Mother," Merlin said firmly, trying to sound stronger than he actually felt. "Tell me what is happening."

Hunith took a shaky breath before nodding her head in a jerking manner. And then she told her son the truth. "A handful of years before you were born, I lived in Camelot. And just before I reached adulthood, I met your father."

Merlin's eyes widened, "My father?" He demanded urgently. "But you never talk about him!" He had tried asking her about him when he was young and realized that he didn't have a father like most of the other village children seemed to have. His mother had always told him that he had to go before she knew that she was pregnant and she never got the chance to tell him. He had tried to press her for more details but the older he got, the more he realized his questions hurt her. Eventually, he had stopped asking all together.

Hunith glanced up at her son's exclamation. Her beautiful son, he looked just like his father. Sure, he got his more lithe figure and soft features from her but his hair and his eyes...his magic, that was all from his father.

"There's a reason that I don't talk about him." Hunith finally told her son. "Your father started courting me not long after we met." She started to smile sadly, remembering those fond memories in her past. Before everything had gone wrong. "It was in our courtship that I met a friend of his. Today, he is known as King Uther of Camelot."

Merlin gasped, "You knew a king?" Merlin had never met royalty before. He had heard stories from others the elderly mainly, that had left the village briefly for one thing or the other. He knew that many nobles thought that they were better than those who weren't. As if somehow being born into a family with more money than others made you a better person. The whole thing just left a sour taste in his mouth.

Hunith nodded, a sad smile on her lips. Uther had been a dear friend to her Balinor but that was back when they were still considered children even though they had reached adulthood. Back before Uther had become king and a tyrant. She never understood what made the man she knew turn so cold. Yes, his wife had died but to turn on them like he had? To start executing magic users left and right? Even when his own best friend was one.

Hunith continued her story, "About a year had passed after your father first started courting me. This was long before I got pregnant with you. Uther had just married a woman named Ygraine. She..she was a dear friend of mine." Even after all these years, she felt the sting of her best friend's death.

Merlin watched her with concern in his eyes. "Was?"

Hunith shook her head, having to stop herself from getting lost in the memories of her past. She didn't answer her son's question, she had to tell him the story of how this had all came to be. "Ygraine was having difficulties getting pregnant and Uther was starting to worry about being unable to provide the kingdom with an heir. But somehow, she managed to eventually fall pregnant with a child." She smiled sadly, remembering when she and Balinor had been told. The parents to be had been so excited, before everything had gone wrong. "But it was a difficult pregnancy. Ygraine was getting sicker and sicker with every day."

Merlin frowned, completely absorbed in his mother's story. Then she hesitated, "Well?" He encouraged her to speak, almost desperate to hear what would happen next.

Hunith wasn't sure how to go about this next part but she knew that she needed to get this out. Her son had to know why he was being forced to leave, what he was leaving to go do. "One day, when Ygraine was barely a few months along, she was having one of her better days. The four of us along with another old friend of ours," Hunith shook away the thought of Nimueh. She wasn't important to the story. Nimueh had disappeared around the same time Balinor had, trying to escape the Great Purge. It had been many years since Hunith had thought of her. She wondered briefly if she was still alive, if she had been able to escape the persecution of sorcerer's. "Got together to celebrate her upcoming birth."

She hesitated again, not wanting to just spit out the truth. She had thought many times over the years about how she would break it to Merlin but nothing had ever seemed like the right way to go about it.

Merlin saw his mother getting lost in her thoughts again and quickly grabbed her attention, "What happened at the celebrations?"

Hunith raised her head and locked eyes with her son. She couldn't cower anymore. She had done this, she didn't have any right to act as if this effected her more than it would her child.

So she told him the truth.

"The night of the celebrations, we started to talk. Our conversation's were obviously, on Ygraine's baby. And they started asking us if we were planning on finally marrying so that your father could 'make an honest woman out of me'." She still laughed when she remembered Uther's light teasing, before he had become the man he was now. "Then the conversation took a turn. We all started laughing and joking about if there was...a union, between our families."

She looked at her son meaningfully but remember when she had said her son was a bit naive. Well now was a prime example. He just stared at her blankly, not comprehending what she meant. "A union of what?" He finally asked, lips dimming into a frown.

Hunith wasn't sure if she wanted to hit her son or not even though she had never laid a hand on him like that before. Maybe a swat here or there but nothing more serious than that. "A union of marriage." She said slowly.

Merlin was still staring at her blankly. "Marriage? Between you and dad?" Leon was watching this exchange with a frown of worry. Merlin clearly wasn't getting it. If he couldn't understand something as simple as this, it was concerning how he would be when it came to royal matters.

Hunith hung her head for a moment, hair falling into her face. It looked like she would literally have to spell it out for him. She finally lifted her head up and started again. "At first, it was just light teasing, nothing serious. But then after a moment, some exchanged looks...it got more serious."

Her eyes flickered over to the knight standing next to them, not sure exactly how much she should say about Balinor and just who he had been. Leon didn't seem to notice her hesitance, to focused on the story itself. He had never heard the story behind how the contract happened. He doubted anyone really knew what had happened that day. He had asked his king when he had first been informed of his mission but Uther had been unnaturally tight lipped about it.

"Your father and the king were as close as brothers. Nothing back then would have made them happier than actually becoming family. Within weeks we had finalized the details." Hunith said softly. "Signed and sealed in front of the council and everything. Uther and Ygraine's were going to have their baby soon. And if your father and I had a baby within the next three years," They had decided on three years as they hadn't wanted their children to have a huge age difference between them. "Our children would unite our families, their child would marry ours."

Hunith stopped to look her son in the eyes, making sure that he was understanding her. Her voice was hushed, to scared to talk any louder than she was. "I fell pregnant with you just over a year later."

Then Hunith and Leon were staring at Merlin, waiting for his reaction. Merlin looked between the two of them for several moments before it finally hit him what his mother said and what exactly that meant for him. His eyes widened and he went paler than he already was. Married? Him? Married to this...whoever this person was? He couldn't be married! He was only nineteen! He had never left his village a day before in his life. Hell, he hadn't even kissed somebody yet, and now he was supposed to get married.

He jolted to his feet, feeling the panic rip through him. "What?" He croaked out, slamming his hands down on the table. "You signed me away to be married!"

Hunith didn't rise from her chair, "I'm so sorry, Merlin." She choked out, bursting into tears as she reached for his hand. But before he had even thought about it, Merlin yanked his hands off the table so she couldn't touch him.

All he could feel was the pounding in his head. His heart was constricting in his chest and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Panic and fear were racing down his spine. He could literally feel his blood thrumming through his veins. His throat was tightening, his eyes were blurry with tears. He gasped desperately, trying to get air into his lungs but he still couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe? He could hear his mother and Leon talking to him but he couldn't understand what they were saying, it was all just a muffled blur. All he could hear was his heartbeat pounding in his head. And then pain suddenly burst through his cheek.

Merlin cried out startled, his head flying to the side as his hands shot up to cup his cheek. His eyes snapped open wide, staring dumbly up at Leon. Leon who had just slapped him clear across the face. He could feel the blossoming heat on his cheek and his only thought was that he hoped it wouldn't leave a mark. The last thing he wanted was to meet his...his betrothed? Was that what he was suppose to call it? He hated to meet his betrothed with a bruised face.

He felt his throat closing up again at the thought and he had to swallow hard before he could full blown panic again. A steady hand suddenly clamped down on his shoulder, bringing him out from his head.

His mother was standing beside him looking scared, scared for him. Leon was standing in front of him, holding him steady. It was a good thing to because Merlin felt like his legs were jello and would give out at any minute.

Leon was speaking, Merlin realized. His heartbeat had dimmed to a dull background noise, no longer pounding in his ears. "I'm sorry, Merlin." He was saying, looking guilty. He hadn't had any choice though, nothing they said had been getting through to Merlin. "You were having a panic attack."

"P-panic attack?" Merlin repeated dumbly, finally lowering his hands from his cheek.

Leon nodded, a frown on his face. "Yes, are you prone to those?" It would be tough enough adjusting to a new life in the castle. Adjusting while you had panic attacks? Leon couldn't begin to imagine how that would fair among the royal family.

"He's never had one before." Hunith answered for him.

"I had a panic attack?" Merlin repeated dumbly, trying to wrap his head around it. One of the neighbor women had gotten one a few years ago. Her daughter had gotten sick and they had thought that she wouldn't make it for a while there. But it happened at the beginning of the next harvest and she was able to survive long enough to get some food in her. It wasn't anything like potions from a physician but it had been enough for her to gather her strength. She was now a very spirited and spunky twelve year old.

"It must have been the news." Leon determined. "Life changing news like this could definitely cause a panic attack. Hopefully it won't happen again."

Merlin gave him a very dry look, "Is that so? I never would have guessed it was because of all this." Leon looked startled by the sudden sarcasm but Merlin could have sworn he saw Leon quirk a quick, amused look before it vanished just as quickly.

Then Hunith was on him, taking his face into her hands. "Honey, Merlin, baby. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Merlin said quickly, trying and failing to brush off her hands that were grabbing all over his upper body as if trying to check for some hidden injury.

Hunith finally gave a wary sigh, dropping her hands so that she now had a very loose grip on the bottom of his tunic. Her eyes were cast down, looking anywhere but at him. "Merlin honey, I am so sorry. I was young and stupid, but that's no excuse either..."

Merlin looked down at his mother who was barely shorter than him. "So it's true then...I have to marry King Uther's kid? His kid in Camelot..." a sudden thought occurred to him and his eyes shot over to Leon who had stepped back to give the family some space. "Doesn't that mean I have to leave Ealdor?!"

Leon gave a single nod, "Yes, you would have to leave Ealdor and come with me to Camelot. When we return, you'll be married to Prince Arthur."

Merlin felt dozens of questions running through his mind but there was just to many thoughts going on in his head. He couldn't get his brain to focus on just one thing. It took him a moment to comprehend what Leon had just said. "Wait...'Prince' Arthur? I'm being married off to a guy!"

Merlin could feel the red creeping up the back of his neck. He'll admit, he had checked out a boy or two in the past, maybe more so than he had any of the girls. But none of them had managed to hold his attention for very long. When all of the boys in his age group had started noticing girls and talking about their breasts that were just starting to grow in, Merlin hadn't really noticed them all to much. Sally was still the daughter of the only people in town who had a cow in which everybody got their milk from and Molly was still the girl who could do a dozen cartwheels in one go.

Leon nodded, "Yes. Your betrothed is a man. His name is Prince Arthur Pendragon."

"Arthur...Pendragon," Merlin repeated slowly. He completely ignored the prince part. Everybody knew the guy was a prince, he didn't have to remind them. He only said the name to feel how it tasted on his lips. But it just made him worry. Who was Arthur Pendragon? Would he be nice? Would he treat Merlin kindly? Would he allow him to still visit with his mother?

But then he snapped out of it. Look at him, thinking as if it was already happening. No, he couldn't just leave his home and everything he knew. Not just to marry some guy he didn't even know existed till just now. "There's no way that I can marry him!"

Leon sighed, trying to remain patient. This was taking far longer than he had thought it would. "I know it might take some time getting used to, the idea of being married to a man but-"

"Who cares about that?" Merlin cut him off. Leon looked at him startled, a frown on his face. He couldn't remember the last time that he had been cut off like that. Not since he was a boy at least. "I can't just leave home." He turned to his mother, putting his hands on her shoulders. "What about..." he tried to think of something. "What about the harvest? I can't just leave here when I'm needed."

Hunith smiled sadly. She had always known that she would have to say goodbye to her son someday. He was just to much for this little town. Not to mention with his magic, there was no way for him to thrive in their little village. She had always hoped that he would just leave on his own, excited about going off on some adventure now that he was getting older. But he hadn't even when he reached adulthood. He hadn't because he didn't want to leave his mother. She didn't want him to be tied down to her and thus to this wretched little village she had found to settle down in. She hated that the only reason he was leaving was because of the mistake she had made, oh so long ago.

"Honey, I know that you're a big help." She reached out to put a hand on his cheek, giving it a little pat. "But we will manage just fine." Merlin was looking at her with those blue eyes of his. She once again felt the pain of sadness, remembering just where her son had inherited his eyes from.

"B-but," Merlin stuttered, trying to think of another way out of this. "I still can't go off to marry some prince. I mean, what about..." he trailed off, eyes flickering between his mother and Leon as he tried to think about something else. "Kids!" He blurted out louder than necessary.

Hunith looked startled by his sudden outburst while Leon just looked confused. "Kids?" The knight asked slowly. "Do you want kids? I mean, that would have to be a discussion between you and Arthur but it would probably be best to wait a few years. Just so you and Arthur could settle in together."

Merlin looked at him blankly, was he suggesting Arthur and him have kids? Him with this prince guy that he didn't even know? If he was being forced into marriage with the guy, why would he want kids to tie him even further down. "No!" Merlin exclaimed loudly. But now Hunith and Leon were just looking at him with confusion in their faces. "I just meant," Merlin said slowly. "That I can't have kids when I'm married to another guy. Wouldn't Camelot need another heir at some point?"

Leon finally realized what he was getting at. "Oh, of course." He nodded. Arthur was still young but in some years, the kingdom would be concerned about having the bloodline secured. "I did ask King Uther about that when he first sent me to find you. He said something about Arthur having to briefly sleep with a woman and raise the kid in the castle."

Hunith looked heartbroken at that. Leon didn't understand why. It was the usual thing that was done when a king married and it turned out their queen was barren or for some other reason, couldn't carry a child. He had even heard that King Uther had once considered doing it just before Ygraine had found out that she was pregnant.

Then his eyes flickered over to Merlin who looked as if he had fire in his eyes. "Oh, so I get to go there and marry this guy. My entire life gets uprooted and I don't even get the chance to be happy? This...this Prince Arthur! Gets to have another while he's married to me and play happy family with her? Meanwhile, I'm just somebody whose in the way before they what? Decide to throw me out so he and whoever can be a family."

Merlin felt the anger deep in his veins, his eyes flashing uncharacteristically. It wasn't often that he got mad. The last time had probably been three years ago when Jacob from next door had lifted up Christina's, the daughter of the only professional seamstress in town, dress and tried to show the other boys her underthings.

Leon looked at Merlin startled, having not expected the anger. But now that he was thinking about it, he couldn't really blame him. He would probably be feeling the same if he was married off only to realize that it would most likely only be marriage in name.

"I mean," Merlin was still going on. "Am I supposed to just sit back and look pretty while all of that is happening? Act like I'm happy that some random girl is carrying the baby of someone who is supposed to be my husband but sure isn't acting like how a husband is suppose to."

Leon watched him curiously, "How do you think a husband is supposed to act?"

Merlin looked startled by the sudden question. "I mean, I don't know!" His mother had never actually married his father. He had to leave them before they got that chance. Other than watching the few married couples around the village, he didn't really know what marriage consisted of. "But I do know it's not going off and having babies with someone who is not your spouse."

Leon smiled sadly, "Well you are right about that." Merlin was just a kid. Even though he was an adult, he obviously didn't know much about the world. It was almost enough to make Leon write to his king and lie, tell him that it had all been a mistake. That they hadn't actually found the kid and their informant had gave them the wrong information. But no, he was a knight foremost and he had a duty he was sworn by. He couldn't just pretend that he had never found the kid. Especially when Dorian and Tristian knew he had, they would spill the beans as soon as they could if he tried to hide it. Then he'd probably be stripped of his knighthood before being imprisoned for trying to stop the wedding.

The knight hoped that Arthur had grown up in the last year, he really did. He hoped that the prince would treat this boy right, this boy who was probably more innocent than anyone in all of this. Even Arthur knew that he would have to marry someday, it was his duty as the prince of Camelot. He even knew that it would be arranged. He just didn't know that the person had been picked out and chosen when he was still in the womb.

But this boy had absolutely no idea about any of this. It completely came out of the blew. Leon truly didn't want to see this kid in a few years to be living a life of misery. He was to young to already have his life taken from him like that. "I'm sorry, Merlin, I truly am. But the terms of the contract are clear. The child of Hunith and Balinor, and the child of Uther and Ygraine, must be married if they are born within three years of each other. They shall be married before their twenty first birthday. There is no loophole, no way out. There is no way to break it. You, Merlin, will marry the prince when we return to Camelot."

Merlin looked hopeful, making Leon frown confused. "You said twenty first birthday." He started hopefully. "That's two years from now. I'm only nineteen. That should be plenty of time to find a way out of it."

Leon gave him a look, "But Prince Arthur is turning twenty one this year. And King Uther wants you married before his upcoming birthday later this year. The sooner the better, to get you all settled in your place at the castle."

Merlin looked stricken, "You mean so that I don't run or hang myself before I'm married and tied to him for life."

Hunith looked horrified, "Merlin!" She cried out. "Don't say things like that! I'm sure...I'm sure it won't be so bad that you have to resort to something like that." But even she sounded shaken, doubtful. What exactly had she condemned her son to?

Merlin ignored her, turning to look at Leon, "And us both being boys? You're sure, there's absolutely no way to break it because of that."

Leon shook his head, "The king already had his council look over the contract. Nowhere does it say that one has to be a boy and the other a girl. The word 'child' is always used."

Hunith took a shaky breath, hands going to play with the hem of her dress as she collapsed into her chair. All of this was just to much for her. "My greatest mistake was not being more specific. But Ygraine and and Uther didn't know what they were having. I wasn't even pregnant yet so child just seemed to be the easiest way to say it. I guess we never considered the possibility that you would both be the same gender."

"I guess not." Merlin said bitterly. Hunith flinched and Merlin instantly felt bad. His mother had raised him on her own, he knew that he was only the person he was today because of her. He wanted to go over there and comfort her, he really did. But he just couldn't bring himself to. Not after knowing that she had literally sold him in marriage even before she knew that she would have a son someday.

Another thought came to mind, "But mother, I don't understand. If I was to marry this Prince Arthur guy, then how did we end up way out here in Ealdor?" Leon looked over at Hunith with curiosity as well. All of Camelot had been searched this year before they had finally spread their search out to the other kingdoms. It was just their luck that Hunith hadn't taken Merlin any further than the edge of the next kingdom over.

Hunith felt the shame over her actions but it was all made the worst with their eyes on her. "It's...it's a long story." She said quietly.

"Mother," Merlin said firmly, taking his seat in front of her again. "I deserve to know the truth. If I am being forced to go through with this, then I need to know everything."

"Everything," Hunith laughed bitterly. "Everything is a lot."

Leon stepped up to one of the windows. The shutters were closed but there was still enough gap between the slates of wood for him to see the dark sky. "I estimate we only have another hour or two before the sun rises. I want us to be gone by then, before the neighbors start waking up. So if you're going to tell him, I would go ahead and do it."

Merlin looked at him panicked as it just now hit him how little time he truly had left of his old life. Everything was going to change tonight. Hell, everything had already changed. He looked to his mother desperate, as if she would be able to stop all of this.

But there was nothing Hunith could do. She had already signed as had her Balinor. Even if he was still around, neither of them could have contested it. Hell, Uther had apparently had his council look it over. If even the great king of Camelot couldn't stop it, how would she be able to.

Hunith had no choice but to finish the story.

"Just barely a month before I learned that I had fallen pregnant with you, Ygraine had her son. But...she died during childbirth, she lived just long enough to give her son his name, Arthur."

Leon ducked his head by habit. It was customary to do so in honor of their beloved queen, even if she had been dead for just over twenty years. The king had never remarried, Ygraine would always be considered the queen of Camelot.

Merlin though, gasped horrified. Ygraine had died? His eyes flickered to the table in front of him. So Arthur had grown up without a mother? Well that was one thing they had in common. Arthur had no mother and Merlin had no father. Maybe they could bond over missing parental figures. He almost snorted at the thought but just barely held back. As if that would happen.

Hunith paid them no mind and kept talking, "After her death, Uther kind of...went off the deep end."

Merlin frowned, "The deep end, how?" But Leon already knew. The timing was just to significant for him. Everybody knew that the king had started the Great Purge not long after Arthur was born and his wife had died.

"Uther locked himself in his chambers, he wouldn't even see Arthur for those first few weeks. Your father and I watched over him while we tried to help Uther grieve." Hunith was explaining. Leon looked startled at that. The king must have really trusted these people at one point in their lives if he had allowed them to watch over his only heir instead of the castle nursemaids that had been waiting to help Ygraine after the birth before they knew that she was dying.

"After several weeks of refusing to exit his room, he finally came out." Hunith felt the tears brimming her eyes again as she choked up. "But his grief had changed him. He wasn't the same man I knew. Within weeks, he had started the Great Purge."

Merlin frowned, "The great purge?" He asked confused. He had heard the term before but never really understood what it meant. He knew it had something to do with magic users and Camelot but from what little he heard, he'd always been too nervous to ask exactly what it meant.

It was Leon who answered the question, "The Great Purge started about twenty years ago. It's where King Uther set the law that magic was forbidden within Camelot's borders. Every known sorcerer was brought before the king and executed for their crime of using magic." Merlin felt his heart leap, his throat going dry. You could be executed just for having magic? And this was where he was going?

He could feel the panic creeping in again. Oh god, Leon was going to have to hit him again. How was he going to explain away having a panic attack over the execution of magic. He was only snapped out of his thoughts suddenly because a firm hand grabbed onto his. Merlin's eyes snapped up startled, locking eyes with his mother who was looking at him firmly. Her gaze drifted over to Leon who was watching them with a confused frown before her eyes snapped back to his. Merlin could feel his panic start to subside, the weight of his mother's hand on his holding him down.

Hunith continued talking as if nothing had happened. "Your father did everything he could to talk Uther out of killing all those people. But he was relentless and wouldn't be swayed. He was determined to snuff out every piece of magic he could find. From the most innocent magic creature to the smallest child. He wanted to destroy it all and to this day, I don't know what made him turn against magic like he did."

Leon couldn't even say anything against her words. He still remembered vividly of the little girl no older than five that had been executed just days before he had left Camelot for this mission. Her crime? She was seen levitating her doll out of a mud puddle so she wouldn't have to touch it because it was 'icky'. It still confused him how a little girl had learned magic in the first place but the king hadn't been interested in finding out who had taught her. She had used magic and that was enough for him.

"It was a scary time for everybody. Sorcerer's were trying to escape Camelot in droves or going into hiding. People were disappearing left and right. Even people who nobody knew were sorcerer's were leaving just in case they were discovered. And eventually, Uther turned his gaze onto your father and I."

Merlin frowned, leaning forward across the table, "Why? Why would he come after you?"

Hunith didn't get the chance to answer before Leon cleared his throat, stepping forward. "There is one thing that I need to make certain of." Hunith and Merlin turned to look at him confused. "King Uther wanted to make sure." Leon didn't know why the king would think to ask this but he probably just wanted to know who was being brought into his family. "He insisted on me asking if you possessed magic?"

Hunith and Merlin both visibly startled, looking shaken. Merlin could feel his panic start to rise again. His throat was tight and he couldn't even talk if he wanted to. What was he supposed to say? If he said yes, would Leon strike him down where he stood? Or just take him to Uther himself to have him order it done. But this wasn't Camelot, Ealdor wasn't inside Camelot's boarders. It wasn't illegal here! Knights from Camelot couldn't just show up and bring judgement down on another kingdom's citizen. But if he said no, would Leon believe him? He had never been the best liar which had made keeping his magic a secret all the more harder.

"No." A firm voice said. Merlin and Leon's heads swirled to look at Hunith. She had her back straight and locked eyes with Merlin, chin tilted up. "My son does not have magic." She said, voice strong. Merlin looked at his mother amazed as she lied straight to a knight. He had never heard her lie so convincingly before. Usually it was like he did, all bumbling and awkward and making excuses. She only ever lied when it was to keep something that he had done using magic hidden.

Leon relaxed his guard, nodding while looking relieved. "Excellent. I should have known you couldn't have it. Uther helped us see just how evil magic is when he started the Great Purge. I can see that you are anything but evil."

Merlin felt like he was going to be sick but he didn't say anything against it. Mainly because he couldn't get his voice to work. His mother had also tightened her hand on his, her nails digging into the skin on the back of his hand, not noticeable to Leon's naked eye. She was silently telling him, warning him, to stay quiet. They had no idea what this man who was still practically a stranger would do if he knew that he was talking to a sorcerer.

Leon turned to Hunith, "Now ma'am, our time is wasting. You should finish your story before we have to go."

Hunith nodded her head before turning her attention to Merlin. He was her only priority, she needed to make sure he understood what had happened in their past. "Uther hated that your father sympathized with magic users." She lied easily. She couldn't tell her son that his father had magic himself. Not when Leon was there. Uther obviously would know that Merlin was the son of a magic user, of his oldest friend. But as long as he thought that Merlin possessed no magic of his own, he would hopefully remain safe even while he resided in the heart of Camelot.

"Your father and I realized that we had no choice. We couldn't stop Uther's new law so we made a plan to leave. Your father was in more danger than I was. He left Camelot in the dead of night and I was supposed to tie up any loose ends we had in the city. Then I was to meet him at one of the outer lying villages so that we could make a break for Cenred's kingdom," she gave a soft look of disdain in Leon's direction. "Somewhere we thought that Camelot couldn't follow."

"But they did." Merlin said gruffly, giving a look at Leon himself. "It only took about twenty years." Leon smiled awkwardly. He just now realized how much Hunith and Merlin shared similar features. They were obviously mother and son, from their near identical expressions.

"But they did." Hunith nodded heavily. "I sent your father along. But what I didn't tell him was that just a few days earlier, I had discovered that I was pregnant."

Merlin looked startled at the mention of her pregnancy. It was hard to imagine that all of this had happened to his mother and he was barely the size of a peanut in her womb. "Why didn't you tell him that you were pregnant?" He asked quietly, voice hushed.

Hunith looked like she was going to start crying again. She should have told him, should have the first moment she started to suspect it. "You don't understand just how much pressure we were under. How hard it was trying to just...disappear. Your father was under so much stress and worry." She reached out to cup her son's slightly pink cheek. It had faded from red to pink because of the slap that Leon had given him earlier but at least it looked like it wouldn't get even worse. "I didn't want to cause him even more strain because of this unexpected blessing."

And make no mistake. Despite all of the hardship that had followed, especially with becoming a single mother, she would never regret her son. Merlin could feel his own tears brimming in his eyes. He moved his hands that his mother was still holding tightly onto so that he could hold hers as well.

Hunith swallowed hard and continued her story. "I was preparing to leave Camelot when Uther caught me. One of the nursemaids who I had confirm my pregnancy. I trusted her to keep this a secret, she was a friend of mine, but then she turned around and told Uther that I was expecting."

Merlin gasped at this unexpected betrayal. He hoped that this nursemaid no longer worked in the castle. He didn't want to imagine what he would do if he came face to face with the woman that betrayed his mother's confidence.

"He questioned me about your father's whereabouts but all I told him was that he had already gone from Camelot. Uther ended up bringing me back to the castle and reminded me of our contract. He thought that it would be enough to hold me prisoner without actually making me a prisoner. My child, you...were as much his as you were mine. Since you were going to marry his son someday, it was as if you were his own and he had to make sure that you were taken care of. To make sure that you stayed on the right path and was educated like the prince would be growing up."

"Then what happened?" Merlin asked. "Why did that never happen?"

"Because," Hunith said simply. "It took almost my entire pregnancy to convince him to let me go."

Merlin looked at his mother baffled, "Let you go? What do you mean let you go? He did just like that? After keeping you there for all those months that you were pregnant with me?"

Hunith shook her head, making Merlin more confused than ever. "He didn't let me go. We made a bargain. He would let us live in peace in one of the outer lying villages. He would act like we never existed and I could raise you myself. He would only come when you turned eighteen so that you would spend a year being educated like a noble would be. Then you and Arthur would marry before his twenty first birthday."

"And he just believed you?" Leon interrupted, having been drawn into the story with a startling fascination. The two looked at him dryly, having almost forgotten that he was there. Leon looked sheepish, realizing he probably shouldn't have interrupted their time together. "Er...sorry."

Hunith shook her head and turned her focus back to her son. "Of course he didn't believe me. But he agreed only because he couldn't imagine having me live in the castle with him for the next eighteen years or so. I think he hoped that your father would come looking for me eventually."

"But he never did." Merlin said quietly.

"He never did." Hunith agreed softly.

Merlin looked up at his mother, "Why didn't he come find us?"

"Oh honey," Hunith said softly. "He never would have left us if he didn't have to. I don't know all the answers but what I do know is that he would have loved you more than anything."

Merlin blinked back his tears, honestly not sure if he should believe his mother or not. Did his father just abandon them? Or was there an actual reason he hadn't gone looking for her, for them? Maybe something happened and he hadn't been able to. He didn't know, but he hoped that he would find out someday exactly what happened all those years ago.

Hunith continued on with her story, "Anyway, he sent me to one of the villages several days by carriage away from the castle. At least that far away I wouldn't be a reminder of everything that had happened. He sent me with two knights who were assigned to watch me to make sure that I didn't run off. They told the other villagers that they were my brothers and we have all moved there together to...escape the shame of my having a child out of wedlock."

Merlin scowled, feeling furious. Yes, it was true that his parents hadn't been married but his mother was a good woman. She didn't deserve to be shamed just because she had fallen in love and gotten pregnant. Especially since his parents probably would have married had the Great Purge not happened and changed everything.

"Uther visited us only once just after I went into labor, just to see you. He didn't even ask me your name. Just went into a rage when he realized that you were a boy." Hunith smirked. "It was actually quite amusing, seeing a grown man throw a fit like that."

Merlin started to grin. He could just imagine it. His mother propped up in her bed holding a newborn him while some king raged at her. All the while she would have had a smug smirk on her face as if she had finally won something.

"I had been sure when it turned out that you were a boy that we could finally be free of that man." Hunith continued heavily. "But a few weeks later, he sent me a letter. Apparently he had done everything he could but the contract was set. Not even the both of you being boys could break it." She shook her head, remembering the panic she felt when she had received that letter.

"So what did you do?" Merlin asked, almost desperate. He had to know what happened next. How did they end up in Ealdor?

"I played my part." Said Hunith, actually pretty proud of how she had done it. "I acted like a good girl. Did everything I was told while I was taking care of you. Eventually, the security laxed. When your father never came for me and it looked like I wasn't going to run, Uther called back his knights intent on forgetting all about us until your eighteenth birthday. You were almost two years old when I packed up and ran."

"And that was how we made it out here." Merlin said quietly, now knowing a part of his family history that he hadn't known existed. How could he have known so little of what his mother had gone through?

Hunith nodded, "I eventually came across Ealdor and this is where we've lived all this time. And everyday I would wake and wonder if this would be the day that they finally found us."

Merlin looked at her sadly, gripping hard onto her hands. This was his mother. How could he just leave her behind?

Leon looked out the window again. "The sun will be up soon." He said quietly, almost sad that he was tearing this family apart. But orders were orders.

Merlin tensed up, looking scared. This was it, he was really leaving Ealder. He was leaving his mother, the only family he had. He was leaving Ealdor, the only place he really knew as his home.

"Sir Leon," Hunith suddenly said, making both boys turn to look at her. "Do you know if a man named Gaius is still the court physician." Merlin looked at her frowning. Who was Gaius, he had never heard the name before.

Leon looked startled, having not expected the familiar name. "Yes, at least he still was when we left Camelot over a year ago to track you down. Unless something's happened, he should still be the court physician. We don't get much news on the day to day in Camelot."

Hunith nodded, a contemplative look on her face. Her son was leaving her but maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to be totally alone in a strange city.

"Mother," Merlin said confused. "Whose Gaius?"

Hunith looked up startled as if she had forgotten that they were there. "Gaius is my older brother."

Leon started, looking surprised. He had been healed by Gaius a few times before. Having to see a physician pretty commonly was pretty much in the job description of a knight. All of those training sessions or missions could really injure a person. He did know that Gaius rarely talked about his family. Leon hadn't even known he had one, having never considered that he may have family elsewhere.

Merlin gaped, looking at his mother dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what was more surprising out of all of this. Him having an arranged marriage to a prince of a kingdom who would kill him if they knew he had magic. Or to hear that his mother had a brother out there somewhere. His mother had told him his grandparents had died before he was born, before she met his father actually. He hadn't questioned it more than that. It never occurred to him that she might have siblings or that they might be alive out there somewhere.

"Mother, you never told me you had a brother." Merlin said slowly, trying to wrap his head around this new piece of information.

Hunith smiled sadly, "Gaius is only my half-brother. We shared the same father but had different mothers. I would only ever meet with Gaius maybe once every other year or so. But we weren't close. I haven't heard from him in over twenty years and I couldn't contact him in case Uther found out." She honestly hadn't even considered contacting him once all of this started.

Gaius had always been a kind man, maybe a little to into his studies about potions but kind enough, none the less. They didn't really have much of an opportunity to get to know each other before all of this. Their mother's had hated the other so they rarely saw each other. Plus, Gaius had lived on the better side of town. He didn't have money by any means but he also never wondered how he was going to get his next meal. Completely different from Hunith who always made sure to keep a little extra food from each meal safely stored away just in case it was needed later.

She hadn't been lying when she had said that they weren't close. She hadn't even bothered to inform him when she had found out that she was pregnant. Thinking about it now, it wouldn't surprise her if he still didn't know he had a nephew out there in the world. She didn't even think Uther knew that Gaius was her brother, given that he had briefly introduced the two to each other when Gaius had first started his apprenticeship in becoming a physician. They hadn't bothered to correct him being that was the first time they had seen each other in two years. That was back to just weeks before Ygraine had fallen pregnant herself.

It had also been the last time she had seen him.

Hunith finally stood from her seat, "Merlin honey, I need you to pack a bag. I'm going to write a letter for you to give to Gaius when you reach Camelot."

"A letter?" Merlin asked confused. "A letter about what?"

Hunith smiled sadly, stopping by his chair to run her fingers through his hair. "Just to let him know who you are. You may not know him but he is family. It'll be nice to get to know more about that side of your family, won't it? Now, do as I said and go pack your bag."

Merlin swallowed his questions back and nodded. Then he got up and grabbed an old, faded bag from the single closet. It was frayed in spots and looked like it wouldn't make it through a long journey. It was probably the same one Hunith had packed when she had fled Camelot with a little two year old Merlin.

With his back to her, Hunith's smile dimmed. She turned to a shelf that looked like it would bend from the pressure on it. There were only a handful of small items on it but the wood still looked like it would break if another item was added.

Hunith grabbed a spare piece of parchment, a quill, and a small tin of ink that looked like it had seen better days. Hunith ignored Leon and sat back down at her table, carefully angling her parchment away from him as she wrote. Not that she had much to be concerned about, he was to busy watching Merlin pack his bag.

Hunith turned to her letter and started to write. Even though she wasn't close to her brother, she could only hope that he would take pity on her son. That he would keep an eye on him when she couldn't.

On the other side of the room, Merlin was carefully stuffing his clothes into his bag. He didn't have much so it didn't even fill the bag up all the way. He had probably three shirts, his jacket, two pair of pants and a single pair of boots that he would be wearing. He also had only two neckerchiefs.

It got hot out when they worked on the harvest and even though you sweated like crazy, it was better to keep the sun off your skin. Fighting heatstroke was a better alternative to your skin burning after hours of hard labor in the field. When he was done with that, Merlin carefully rolled up his bedroll and strapped it to the top of his bag.

There, he was all packed and it had barely taken ten minutes. Leon frowned. Even though he hadn't been home in a year, he still had all of his possessions in his house waiting for him. Merlin thought nothing of it, completely content and happy with his meager belonging. Leon didn't look all that impressed though. The kid had a depressingly little amount of stuff.

Looking around again, Leon didn't think that Merlin actually had anything that was his own. Not that Hunith seemed to have many personal possessions either. But it seemed like all Merlin actually had were his clothing and he had just put every piece into a single bag and it still didn't look like it was full.

Merlin bent over and slid his boots onto his feet. Then he grabbed his bag and tugged it up onto his shoulders before standing up.

"Is that everything?" Leon asked, glancing out the window. "Are you ready?" The sky had lightened up a considerable amount. Morning would break within minutes and it wouldn't be long after that the townspeople would wake up.

"Yeah," Merlin said softly. "I...I guess I'm ready." He looked over to his mother who was just standing up from their table.

Hunith carefully rolled up the parchment and took a single ratty old red ribbon to tie it closed. There, it was done. Now, she could only hope that Gaius would look out for her son, his nephew. That he would keep him safe when she couldn't.

Life in the city was so different than what Merlin knew way out in the country like they were. He had never left the village since they had arrived all those years ago. Hunith had been to scared to take him anywhere else. Even in another kingdom, she had worried about someone recognizing her or if a platoon of Camelot knights were passing through and happened to notice her. It had been to much of a risk at the time. Now she wondered if her son would be able to survive out there in the hustle and bustle of a constantly moving city.

"Here Merlin, turn around," Hunith said, walking over to her son. He did so and let his mother open his bag, carefully sliding the rolled up parchment inside. "Now remember, when you get to Camelot you can give this to Gaius, he's the court physician there. I'm sure he'll be interested in meeting his only nephew."

Merlin turned back around after she had clipped his bag close again. "I will mother." He said quietly. He would remember that. Give the letter to Gaius. He hoped that it would be easy enough to find him. He just had to look for the court physician and really, how hard could that be?

Famous last words there.

Hunith started to fidget with her son's belongings. First she made sure his bag was on straight, and then she was fidgeting with the collar of his jacket. Anything to have something to do with her hands while she tried to stall for a little more time.

But Leon was watching the window. The sky has lightened up considerably but it was still in that little place where most people were still asleep or fighting to get out of bed because of the early hour. He finally turned to them, they couldn't afford to wait much longer. "Hunith, I'm sorry but it's time that we go."

Hunith gave a shaky nod, tears brimming in her eyes. She couldn't cry now, she had done this. She needed to be strong for her son. Hunith then lifted a hand to cup Merlin's cheek, memorizing every detail of his face. She didn't know if she would ever see her son again. "Merlin honey, I am so sorry." She apologized shakily.

Merlin couldn't handle it anymore and wrapped his arms around his mother, pulling her close. He could feel angry about the situation later but right now, he needed to say goodbye to his mother. Who knows when he would see her again.

Hunith let out a heartbreaking sob, wrapping her arms around her son's neck, burying her fingers into the nape of his dark hair. She kept muttering into his ear about how sorry she was.

It was only when Leon started tapping his foot, looking more and more concerned at the time that was passing did Merlin step back. He held tightly onto his mother's hands, "Don't worry mother, I'll be alright." He gave her a very weak smile. "I mean, I'm sure that I'll be...happy?" It sounded more like a question. He had said it very weak like, clearly doubting if he actually would be able to be happy during all of this.

Hunith stared into her son's dark blue eyes, so like his father's, and gave a jerky nod of her head. "I hope so honey, I truly hope so." She didn't know anything about this Arthur. If he was anything like his father then Hunith truly feared for her son's safety. And the worst out of all of this? There was absolutely nothing that she could do about it.

When they couldn't stall anymore, Merlin finally stepped back and turned to Leon. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Good, good." Leon said quickly, trying to get them out of the house before the villagers started to leave their homes. They needed to be gone by the time they did so. The last thing they wanted was for word to spread that unauthorized knights from Camelot were seen hanging around another kingdom's village. The only thing worse was if word spread that they had taken a citizen from the village.

Leon reached for the door handle to pull it open and allow Merlin to go through. Merlin took one last shaky breath and looked around his little home. It would probably be the last he saw of it and he wanted to remember every little piece.

The way the single couch was sunken in from years of use and looked like it would collapse. The wobbly table legs that always made the table lean slightly one way or the other. The carefully made clay bowls they used for their meals that had several large cracks in them. The almost bare desk with just a few spare pieces of parchment left on it. Even the little spot that him and his mother would sleep in because it was right next to the carefully arranged fire pit. It was mainly made of large stones they collected from the woods as a way to keep the fire in. He wondered who would help his mother when the stones needed replacing like they did every few years.

Merlin looked up as Leon swung the door open. "Well," he said quietly. "It looks like I'm getting married." And then he stepped through the open doorway, having no idea what his future would hold for him.