"Merlin?"

Where Merlin was didn't make sense. He was lying against a log, a cloak (a knight's cloak?) wrapped around him, and a warm body on top of him. Why was a kid talking to him? Why was there even a kid around?

"Merlin, I'm hungry and thirsty," the kid said.

Oh. It was Arthur.

Merlin dragged his eyes open. Arthur had woken up and was sitting up, Percival's cloak around his shoulders. Arthur's own cloak had been left on his horse. The sun was up. The knights were sitting around the fire chatting, Gwaine turning a rabbit over the flames.

Lancelot held his canteen out. "I told you, Arthur, you can borrow my canteen."

Arthur stared at him, then turned back to Merlin. He tugged on his jacket. "Merlin."

Merlin sat up, grimacing. Pain ached in his back. He really shouldn't have fallen asleep in that position. "It's all right, Arthur."

Arthur slid off Merlin's lap into the leaves, taking the cloak with him. He reached out and grabbed the canteen, then shrank against Merlin's side and drank, his hands shaking.

Arthur stared up at Merlin. "I'm still hungry."

"You'll have to wait until it's done. How much longer, Gwaine?" Merlin asked.

"Not much longer." Gwaine glanced up and smiled at Arthur and Merlin.

Arthur hid his face in Merlin's shirt. He pulled it out after Gwaine looked away. He stuck his feet out in front of him and wiggled his toes under the cloak. "We need to leave soon. We're gonna be very late to Camelot, and Father'll be furious."

"It'll be all right," Merlin said. "Didn't I tell you I'd take care of it?"

"Besides, you need to eat before we start out," Leon said. "Your father will understand."

"He never understands," Arthur muttered.

"It's done," Gwaine said. He lifted the rabbit off the fire. "Come get what you want, Arthur."

Arthur tensed.

Merlin patted his shoulder. "Go on."

Arthur stood, dumping the cloak in Merlin's lap, and walked over to Gwaine.

"Grab some for me as well," Merlin said.

"But I'm the prince!" Arthur exclaimed.

"And?" Merlin said.

Arthur glanced at the rabbit, then Merlin, then the rabbit, then Merlin, then the rabbit again. He reached forward and pulled a leg off, then tilted his head and pulled off another leg.

"You got yours and Merlin's?" Gwaine asked.

Arthur nodded.

"All right." Gwaine stood up and held the rabbit out to Elyan.

Arthur flinched. He scrambled back, landing on his butt at Gwaine's feet. He clutched the rabbit's legs to his chest, his brows drawn and his lip jutting out. He trembled minutely. "This was a trick, wasn't it? You tricked me into disobeying my father's rules. That was mean!" He climbed to his feet and jutted his chin out. "Well, get it over with."

"Get what over with?" Gwaine absent-mindedly held the stick out to Elyan, frowning. Elyan took it from him, also frowning.

"The punishment. I broke a rule, so I have to face the punishment," Arthur said. He was still trembling, but his back was as straight as a poker. Merlin's heart twisted. So young and already displaying his typical bravery in the face of terror. Except this shouldn't have been terrifying. Not for him. Such a young child shouldn't know how to pronounce "punishment" so well. What about Arthur's childhood had he kept from Merlin? Well, he knew the answer was quite a lot, but what of great importance had Arthur hidden from everyone?

"What rule?" Elyan asked.

"A prince never serves himself food," Arthur said. "And he never serves others food either. Go ahead, just punish me. I know you have to, and I know you like it, 'cause I'm the stuck-up prince. So just do it. It hurts less when I'm expecting it."

"What punishment?" Leon asked.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You know." He switched the legs to one hand and pushed the back of his hand against his cheek. "That."

"Hold on." Merlin's stomach curdled. "Are you saying that Gwaine is supposed to backhand you?"

Arthur nodded. "He has to. King's orders."

Gwaine stuck his chin in the air. "Well, I couldn't give two figs about the king's orders."

"Yeah, Arthur, we're not going to hit you," Elyan said.

Arthur frowned. "But you have to. If you don't, he'll hit you too or dismiss you, and it'll be my fault." He spun to Merlin. "You have to tell him."

Merlin shook his head. "It doesn't matter whether or not the king will punish us for not punishing you. I won't do it, and neither will the rest of us."

"But you have to!" Arthur insisted. "Surely one of you hates me enough to hit me."

Percival shook his head. "It's wrong to hit a child."

"I swore an oath to defend the helpless," Lancelot said. "Hitting you would go against that."

Arthur crossed his arms. "I am not helpless."

"Children, then," Lancelot said.

Arthur jutted his chin out and turned to Leon.

Leon shook his head. "I took the same oath Lancelot did. I'm sworn to defend the helpless and innocent, and I'm sworn to defend my prince. I would be violating that oath if I hit you."

"But you wouldn't!" Arthur said. "My father said you have to, and he's never wrong, so it couldn't be violating your oath. You have to hit me!"

"Your father can be wrong just like everyone else, prince…" Gwaine trailed off awkwardly in the middle of the word. Merlin bit back a sigh. He must have almost called Arthur princess. That was not what Arthur needed to hear right now.

"That's not true!" Arthur's eyes flitted back and forth between them. "You're liars! You're not my father's knights. They would hit me like they're supposed to."

"Arthur—" Gwaine started forward.

"Get away from me!" Arthur threw the rabbit legs in the leaves and bolted into the woods.

Merlin stood up and bolted after him. "Arthur!"

Merlin's heart pounded. Arthur was a small, sickly six-year-old. How could he have disappeared so thoroughly? He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Arthur!"

Leaves rustled, but no wind stirred in the forest. Merlin glanced up. Arthur clung to the trunk of a tree, pushing himself up by one of the branches.

Merlin sighed. "Arthur, come down."

"No!" Arthur wrapped his arms tighter around the trunk of the tree. "I won't! You're a liar! You're not with my father or you'd hit me like you're supposed to!"

Merlin pressed his lips together and crossed his arms. He didn't know what to do with Arthur. The fact that Arthur couldn't trust them because they refused to hit him was horrible and would cause them a great deal of trouble. They couldn't hit Arthur to convince him to come with them. But what could they do? Telling him the truth might make him run away completely. "You're right. We're not from your father. We're from your mother." He hated to use her like this, but he was sure she'd understand. It was for the safety of her son.

Arthur froze. "My mother?"

"Before she died, she appointed us to look after you. I'm sorry we took so long to find you, sire," Merlin said.

"But… But you don't want to hit me," Arthur said.

"Your mother never believed in striking children." Merlin didn't want to put words in Ygraine's mouth, but he didn't believe what he said of her was wrong. He'd always imagined that Ygraine had all of Arthur's best qualities and none of the worst ones, the ones that seemed to come from Uther. She must have been kind, sweet, and showed emotion where her son did not.

"Are you telling the truth?" Arthur asked.

Merlin was suddenly struck with a thought. He dug in his satchel for the neckerchief-wrapped bundle of his most precious possessions. He sorted through the pile. A bracelet of his mother's, his father's dragon carving, Gaius's rabbit's foot, a broken button of Gwen's, the flower he made for Freya. There it was. He pulled out the seal Arthur gave him a few weeks ago, which both warmed Merlin's heart as a symbol of their deep friendship, and chilled his blood, as he knew Arthur had thought he was about to die and meant it for something Merlin could remember him by when he was gone. Merlin turned it over in his hands, then held it up. "Here. This is your mother's seal. Would I have that if I wasn't telling the truth?"

Arthur gasped. He let go of the trunk and scrambled down the branches. His foot slipped and he fell through the air, screaming.

Merlin darted forward and caught the falling child in his arms. He smiled. Always saving you, you prat. He set Arthur on his feet and brushed him off. "Are you all right?"

Arthur nodded. He reached up and took the seal from Merlin's hand. He turned it over and over, frowning. He gasped. "It is hers!" He flung his arms around Merlin, then gave him back the seal. He tilted his head. "How did you know it was me?"

Merlin smiled, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. "You're pretty unmistakable."

"Are you a knight like they are?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shook his head. "I'm your manservant."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Oh. I've never had one of those before. Is that better than a nanny?"

"Much better than a nanny." Merlin stuck the seal back in his satchel and stuck out his hand. "Shall we return to camp and eat breakfast?"

Arthur drooped. He slid his hand in Merlin's. "I guess."

Merlin couldn't help but marvel at the trust Arthur showed him. "Come on, let's go. It'll be all right."

Arthur simply sighed and shuffled along by Merlin's side.

Arthur still didn't talk to the knights during the entire walk back to Camelot. He stayed close to Merlin and kept his head down. Thankfully, they weren't too far from Camelot, so they'd make it back that day. Arthur kept lagging behind and panting hard, but he insisted he was all right.

They emerged out of the woods and over a hill. Camelot loomed high in the distance. Merlin's chest loosened. They were almost home.

It took a few steps for Merlin to realize Arthur wasn't by his side anymore. He turned. Arthur was frozen stiff at the top of the hill, all his muscles tense. Merlin knelt in front of him. "What's wrong?"

Arthur drew in a deep, shuddery breath and tears gathered in his sharp blue eyes. "Father," he whimpered.

Merlin grasped Arthur's bony shoulders. "He's all right. He won't hurt you."

A tear slipped down Arthur's cheek. "He's gonna kill me."

Merlin shook his head. "Arthur, your father is very sick. He hasn't even realized you were gone."

"But…when he wakes up…he'll find out and…" Arthur started to hyperventilate.

"We won't tell him," Merlin said. Arthur's gasping quickened. "Arthur, I promise."

Tears streamed silently down Arthur's face. He was gasping so much that he couldn't speak.

Merlin opened his arms. "Come here."

Face crumpling, Arthur stepped into Merlin's arms. Merlin wrapped his arms around his shuddering form and rubbed his back. Arthur pressed his wet face into Merlin's shoulder. "It's going to be all right, Arthur. You're safe. I promise."

Merlin repeated that over and over as tiny Arthur had a breakdown in his arms. Finally, slowly, he started to calm down.

"You promise you'll protect me?" Arthur asked.

"I promise," Merlin said.

Arthur nodded but threw his arms around Merlin's neck and wouldn't let go. Merlin restrained a sigh and picked him up. He turned to the knights. They were staring. Gwaine opened his mouth.

Merlin glared at him. "Not now."

A/N: So I actually wanted Gwaine to be sympathetic to Arthur because of his noble past and things that happened to him, but he decided to be rude instead.