Hey guys, sorry for the wait!

o}O{o

Something woke Mordred up and it wasn't the sunlight beaming through the window, signalling that dawn had past. A high pitched voice was pestering him to get up but Mordred closed his squinted eyes and pulled the covers tighter around himself. Arthur wouldn't need him until lunch so Mordred wanted to sleep in, a concept that Merlin did not understand. He had stayed up later than he should have practicing his sword work.

"Mordred," Merlin called from the door way, "are you up? Mordred, c'mon get up!" The older boy remained silent even though he wanted to tell Merlin to let him sleep. That would give him away.

"Mordred!" Merlin's energetic voice hovered over him. The boy was standing right above him now. "You're not sleeping, I know you're not." Mordred ignored him and was actually falling asleep before Merlin yelled, "Rise and shine!" Merlin waited for his magic words to work. Gaius had told him that Merlin's mother always used to say that in the mornings.

"Indoor voice, Merlin!" Gaius shouted from the main chambers.

"Sorry!" Merlin whispered loudly. "Mordred?"

It was quiet for a peaceful second before the covers were ripped off him causing Mordred to groan and huddle in on himself. "Go 'way," he mumbled, reaching for the covers. If he had happened to look he would have found them floating below the ceiling.

Merlin laughed delightedly and climbed on the bed to shake Mordred's shoulder. "Get up," the little boy sang. "Get up, get up!" Merlin proceeded to poke him, forcing Mordred to admit defeat. He played possum though, just to annoy Merlin. After a few more attempts to wake him, Merlin whined wordlessly. Morded's smiling lips betrayed his closed eyes and he heard Merlin huff above him. Seizing his chance, Mordred quickly dragged his arm over the boy and pinned Merlin down beside him- erupting in very loud snores while he did it. He was rewarded by an onslaught of giggles as Merlin tried to wriggle away from his grip. Merlin squealed in delight as Mordred started to tickle him so he quickly clambered over the older boy to get away.

"You can't get me!" he teased and ran down off the bed.

"Careful, Merlin!" Mordred warned loudly as the boy scurried out of the room and down the stairs. The child slowed today, mindful of last week's spill down the steps. He still had a red scrape on his nose which he asked Morgana and Gwen to kiss every time he saw them.

A large yawn escaped Mordred as he got up and stretched out his arms with Merlin still urging him to hurry up. He could tell that it was going to be a nice day- outside the window the sky was a pastel blue holding inside it one puffy cloud that he could see. "Mordred," Merlin called and skipped back up the steps. Mordred handed him an amused glance and he let the boy pull him to his feet. "Your hair is all funny," Merlin laughed, prompting Mordred to attempt to flatten it.

"So is yours," Mordred countered and vigorously shook Merlin's head to dishevel his hair.

"Hey!" Merlin cried. "Gaius!"

Merlin was going to run out the room again but Mordred caught him around the middle and hauled him up. "Oof, you're heavy," the older boy said as he started to carry Merlin out the room.

"I am not!" Merlin laughed, twisting to hold on to Mordred's shoulders.

"You're right," Mordred joked, "you're still a squirt."

Merlin scowled. "Gaius! Mordred called me a squirt!" he wailed, sliding out of Mordred's arms now that they were down the steps.

The physician turned from the table where he was ladling out porridge for his two wards. "Mordred, you know he doesn't like that," Gaius scolded.

"Sorry, Merlin," Mordred said unapologetically.

As usual, Merlin was deaf to sarcasm and smiled snidely. He skipped to Gaius, tugging on the physician's rust coloured robes. "What's for breakfast, Gaius?"

Mordred could see the bowls of porridge on the table but Merlin could not see on top- he should have been able to smell it though.

"I told you, Merlin. Porridge," Gaius told him patiently.

Merlin pulled a face while Mordred sat down and thanked the old man. "But I don't want porridge," Merlin said pouting.

"I thought you liked porridge this week," Mordred complained.

"Nope," Merlin chirped, shaking his head. "Can I have a apple?"

"An apple," Gaius corrected, "and not until after your porridge."

Merlin frowned, looking to Mordred for help. He scowled though when he found that Mordred was already eating. Gaius raised his eyebrow at Mordred, and the boy remembered that the physician needed him to hand out potions in the castle. Which meant that they could not linger, so Mordred attempted to think fast. Merlin began to inch away from Gaius when Mordred was struck by inspiration.

"Oh! Let's play the food game," Mordred suggested.

"What's that?" Merlin asked eagerly.

Good question, Mordred thought to himself and furiously tried to work out some rules. "Er, well... you have to eat all the food and then… you…" Mordred fell silent as Mordred bounded forward onto the bench and began to eat the porridge. He was eating as quickly as he could while Mordred stared, surprised that Merlin had fallen for it so quickly. But he smiled at his good fortune and continued to eat, sharing a conspiring look with Gaius.

They would have to work out the details of this food game. Both of their lives would be easier if they did.

o}O{o

Gaius trusted Mordred to conduct all of his rounds in the castle now so the boy did that every Friday and Monday. Merlin always tagged along even though at first he was nervous of meeting the lords and ladies, but eventually after he began talking again he sought out those who didn't look at them like they were retriever dogs. Some of them, most who were senile found themselves being chatted at by Merlin and they seemed to enjoy talking back. Mordred was smiling as they left old Sir Charles' room- Merlin was still laughing at the story the retired knight had told about when he was just a squire.

"Can we go fishing, Mordred?" Merlin asked him as they walked.

Mordred laughed amusedly. "You really want to go?"

"Yeah! Can we?"

"Sure, I think Elias goes sometimes. Maybe we can bring some home for dinner too."

"To eat them?" Merlin asked aghast.

"Well we'd cook them first, Merlin," Mordred pointed out.

Merlin thought for a bit, squinting at Mordred and thereby stumbling for not keeping watch on the floor. He recovered, having to grab his brother's arm to keep balance. "I don't wanna eat them," he said.

"Alright. Maybe we can just let them go," Mordred said agreeably, practically foreseeing the fit Merlin would throw if they actually had to kill a fish. But Mordred had never gone fishing before, the prospect was quite exciting to him.

"When can we go? Can we go now?" Merlin wondered.

"We're going to see Morgana now," Mordred replied, holding up the purple vial meant for the lady. They always left Morgana's sleeping potion to last so they could visit before getting Arthur's lunch. The prince usually took breakfast with his father Monday mornings unless they were arguing.

"Can I show her my baddle wound?" Merlin asked Mordred.

"It's not a battle wound, Merlin," Mordred said in annoyance, eyeing Merlin's scraped nose. "You just fell down the stairs."

"Arthur says it is," Merlin argued.

"Arthur wanted to tease you," Mordred said.

"No he didn't," Merlin huffed obstinately.

"He did. And it's not a battle wound."

"Is so! And he didn't."

Mordred felt a smile creep onto his lips and he argued with Merlin all the way to Morgana's chambers. Just before they arrived at the door, Mordred said, "Alright, you can show Morgana your battle wound."

Merlin was delighted and he knocked on Morgana's door excitedly. He didn't knock on anyone's door besides Morgana and Gwen, Mordred explaining very clearly that it was a rule he absolutely had to follow for ladies. They only had to wait for barely a second but when they were called to enter, Merlin bolted in as if he were waiting forever.

"Morgana! Gwen! Look at my baddle wound!" Merlin called out, running to where the lady was sitting at her desk. Gwen was brushing Morgana's midnight tresses but stepped aside to make room for Merlin. The lady glanced at Mordred quickly, her eyes flitting down to his shoulder.

Mordred glanced down to find nothing there as both women gasped and he looked to see Morgana lift Merlin onto her lap. "Oh my, that looks quite painful," Morgana noted.

The child widened his clear blue eyes and nodded. Mordred rolled his eyes. "Can you kiss it better?" Merlin asked sweetly.

Morgana and Gwen giggled to each other but the king's ward obligingly leant forward and pecked the tip of Merlin's nose. Mordred wanted to be truly annoyed with Merlin but he was never able to. The boy's large grin made Mordred happy. It came as no surprise when Merlin climbed down and went to Gwen, asking the same thing.

"All better?" Gwen asked Merlin.

"Thank you!" Merlin said brightly and nodded.

"You're welcome, Merlin," Gwen laughed and then smiled at Mordred. "Good morning, Mordred."

"Morning," he said and walked to Morgana, proffering the vial in his hand.

"Thank you, Mordred," she said as he put the potion on the desk. She turned in her chair to allow Gwen to keep brushing her hair. The lady was stunning as usual but her beauty was tired today.

Mordred shifted in discomfort. "Did you have more dreams last night?" he asked, noting the shadows under her eyes.

She gave him a smile while Gwen glanced down at her worriedly. "They haven't stopped," she sighed.

"Do you want to know how I got my baddle wound?" Merlin asked Morgana and Gwen, tugging on the maidservant's dress to gain attention.

"Merlin," Mordred scolded and grabbed the boy's hand to drag him away from Gwen.

Merlin was going to protest before Gwen spoke. "It's alright," she said, finishing Morgana's hair. She set the brush down and ran her hands through the lady's hair to smooth it out. "Why don't we go grab some lunch for us, Merlin. You can tell me on the way." Morgana smiled at Gwen through the mirror. She was tired, and Merlin's enthusiasm could be difficult to handle first thing in the morning.

"Okay!" Merlin said excitedly, sticking his tongue out at Mordred as Gwen led him away. Both he and Morgana laughed as Merlin began a story of saving a baby wolf from a big mean bear. The story changed every time.

"He's adorable," Morgana laughed, checking her hair in the mirror. She sighed and wiped a finger under her eye, making an irritable face at the darker colour. Mordred looked down at his boots as Morgana fussed over her appearance, feeling the now familiar debate start within him. Gaius had told him he could not talk to Morgana about her dreams. 'It would lead to you telling her of your magic,' Gaius had warned.

Mordred didn't mind if Morgana knew about his magic, but the thought of someone else knowing about Merlin terrified him. And they didn't know if she did have magic, the only thing they did know was that she was a seer, not if it would grow into something greater. But, really, why would he ever have to tell her of Merlin's magic? Morgana's dreams scared her, and their nature was magical. Surely if she understood more about it, she would be more at ease, she could sleep again.

Mordred glanced back up when Morgana sighed. "Well, I won't be turning any heads today," Morgana bemoaned lightly, "perhaps a little rouge th-"

"I need to talk to you," Mordred blurted.

Morgana blinked and looked at him in surprise. "Sounds serious," she noted upon seeing the frown on his face. "Alright."

The boy hesitated and looked around. "Not in the castle."

"Is something wrong?" Morgana asked, starting to look worried.

Mordred bit his lip. "I just don't want anyone to hear," he explained and glanced at the closed door.

Morgana was quiet as she studied him and she rose out of her chair. "What is this about, Mordred?"

He couldn't say here. Anyone could be listening at the door. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Of course," she declared, clearly wondering what he was on about.

"Good. Because I trust you, and I… I have to talk to you," Mordred said to her, growing nervous. But he couldn't stand to see her like this so he wouldn't back down. He didn't think he could go much longer keeping Morgana in the dark.

"Okay," she said simply. "We can go for a ride after lunch."

Nerves were making his stomach hurt but he knew this was the right thing to do. Mordred smiled and nodded.

o}O{o

Mordred tapped his toe impatiently inside his boot, standing behind Arthur's chair as the prince ate his lunch. His pale eyes flicked toward the window where the bright day outside waited and he wondered if Morgana was waiting for him yet. Arthur was only midway through his sandwich, taking his sweet time. The young warlock felt a yawn building and tried his best to make it as small as possible.

"That is the fourth time you've yawned since coming in," Arthur said while chewing.

"Sorry, Sire," Mordred mumbled, "I suppose I'm just a bit tired."

"Stayed up past your bed time?" the prince asked mockingly.

Mordred pretended he did not hear the barb. "No, I stayed up late practicing. I got it down this time, Sire."

"You put enough force in your strikes?" Arthur questioned.

"Yes," Mordred said smiling. "My arms hurt."

Arthur breathed a laugh. "You don't want to hurt yourself now."

Mordred grinned. "But as Gaius says, hard work breeds a harder soul."

Arthur burst out laughing and ended up choking on his water, spitting out to have it spray across the table. Morded blinked and decided that he was offended. A deep pout weighed down his lips as Arthur laughed uproariously.

When the prince calmed into chuckles, Mordred spoke up. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

Another snort of laughter escaped Arthur. "…breeds a harder soul," he laughed before turning to Mordred and pointing a finger. "He made that up."

Mordred furrowed his brow. "He said it's a proverb."

"Were you doing work at the time?" Arthur pressed, a large grin on his face.

He had been dragging bags for the Mercian assembly when Bayard had come to visit all those months ago. "…Yes," Mordred admitted.

Arthur chuckled and returned to his meal, not seeming to mind that it was a bit wet. "Proverb," Mordred heard him laugh to himself. The boy felt his ears heat up from embarrassment and he wondered if Arthur was telling the truth. It would be just like Gaius to lie to him like that. Mordred gritted his teeth until Arthur finished his lunch. Relieved, the servant was quick to retrieve Arthur's tray, catching the prince's smirk as he did so.

"Oh I want you to check on Patches," Arthur said, seemingly taking pity on him. "Make sure she's alright." Patches was Arthur's favourite fox hound and had just delivered a litter of puppies yesterday.

"Yes, Sire. I'll look in on her after I get back with Morgana. She wants to go for a ride in the forest," Mordred said.

Arthur screwed up his face. "Whatever for?"

Mordred shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly. Said she wanted some air."

Arthur's eyebrows immediately rose and he leaned back in his chair, physically distancing himself. "Well good luck then. Don't go too far."

"Yes, Sire," Mordred said, heading for the door.

"Oh, and Mordred," Arthur called, causing the boy to look back. "You can muck out the stables too."

"But why?" Mordred complained, his voice climbing higher.

"Because hard work breeds a harder soul," Arthur answered laughing, unable to keep a straight face.

Mordred glared at the prince but spun on his heel when Arthur started to laugh at him again. He hurried out the room, grumbling angrily when he was outside. Stupid Arthur, he thought to himself. On the way to the kitchens, Mordred occupied himself by criticizing Arthur in his head. As he walked in the doorway of his destination, Mordred thought that he would bring the prince mutton for dinner. Arthur hated mutton.

He hurried to the sinks, searching for Emily as he walked and frowned at seeing the girl nowhere in sight. Mordred spotted her sister cutting up some kind of vegetable with some other kitchen maids on the other side of the kitchens but his friend didn't seem to be here.

"Hullo, Mordred," a squeaky voice greeted.

Mordred looked down at Little Rory, an eight year old scullion whose job it was to help clean the ovens. He was an eager boy, and whisked the tray out of Mordred's hands to put them in the sink.

"Hi, Rory," Mordred said. "Where's Emily?"

"Dunno," Rory said, and whipped out a rag to clean the dishes. "Probably helping her mum out. Why?"

"Just wondering," Mordred said and shrugged. "Well I'll see you later."

"Aww come on! Stay a bit, help me with the dishes!" Rory called but Mordred ignored him. He had to hurry to the stables- Morgana was probably waiting for him. Mordred hurried out the kitchens and started to jog down the halls. In his haste he took a corner too fast, not hearing someone come the other way.

He only had time to gasp in surprise as he ran into a taller figure and stumbled backward. Both of them stumbled but Mordred was the only one to lose his balance. Don't be Ivor, don't be Ivor, he chanted in his head while looking up and ended up sighing in relief when he saw that it was just Rupert.

"Someone is in a hurry," the king's manservant noted and held out his hand to Mordred.

"Sorry, Rupert," Mordred offered as the grey haired man pulled him up. "I'm late to meet Morgana."

Rupert's thin eyebrows rose upward. "Whatever for?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, we are going for a ride," Mordred said, fidgeting impatiently.

The old servant smiled down at him. "Well I think I have been here long enough to know that the Lady Morgana hates to be kept waiting."

Mordred made an agreeable noise. "No," he said and left Rupert to hurry forward. "Sorry about running into you!"

"Be careful around the corners!" Rupert called after him.

"I will!" Mordred yelled back but once he disappeared from the old servant's sight, he broke into a run. He hoped Morgana wouldn't be mad at him.

o}O{o

Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you liked it :)

Guest – I'm just glad you like it, but thanks so much for the review! It put a big huge smile on my face :D Thanks again

SecretFan94- Ya I really liked Morgana too. It's fun integrating her more into the story so I'm happy I'm not the only one enjoying lol. Thank you for reviewing :)