Summary: When on a hunting trip Arthur asks an unexpected question that will forever bring the prince and his manservant closer and prepare them for the destiny they share with not only themselves but the 'Protector'.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin
"What was it like living in Ealdor?" Arthur asked from his place at the fire. "What?" Marlin asked turning to look at the man beside him. "You heard me. What was it like living in Ealdor?" Arthur said looking like it was the the most obvious thing in the world. Merlin looked at him then sighed, collecting his thoughts. "Well I lived with my mother and sister Marie, the girl who said she didn't care what you thought and was going to fight regardless." Melon smiled, his eyes distant. "Huh that suddenly makes so much more sense." Arthur said realisation in his eyes. "We weren't the most liked people in the village, in fact everyone but Will, Marie and my mother hated me." Arthur suddenly thought something.
"Wait, what about your father?" Arthur questioned confused why he was never mentioned. "Didn't know him, he left before I was born and when my mother saw him again I guess telling him I existed was the last thing on her mind." Merlin answered sadly. Arthur grimaced, his mother had died when he was born, and that was hard to deal with, but just having a parent leave, that would be unbearable and bring up many self doubts. 'Was I the reason they left?' 'Did they not want a child?' or 'did they even care?' were question that Arthur thought would be the first to come into a child's mind after hearing a parent hadn't stayed. "What did you do for fun?" Arthur asked, trying to change tone topic to happier times. "We would hide from each other while the other would try to find us, or we would see who could throw a stick further. That or see who has better aim by throwing stick at a specific point, Marie always won that despite being six years younger than me, eight years younger than Will. We also tried to see who the forest animals liked best, Will would never win that, the animals would always run away from him. Usually we would lose track of time and by the time Marie and I got home it would almost be dark and we'd get a lecture from our mother. The next day Marie and I would always have to work longer hours in the field but we never learnt our lesson." Arthur chuckled at that.
"Things were difficult in winter and somedays we'd have to go without food, we only had two blankets as well, I remember it was Marie's third winter and it was quite cold, she got very sick and mother sent for Gaius, that was the first time I met him." Merlin said smiling. "So it may be a simple lifestyle and challenging, but it shows that you have everything you need." Arthur said smiling at his, dare he say it, best friend, though he wouldn't admit it, not yet at least. "You got all that just by me telling you about my home and family?" Merlin asked surprised. "Yeah sort of. It proves you don't need all this fancy stuff. You feel that way about Camelot, right?" Arthur asked almost afraid, well not afraid, curious, that's the word, he was curious. "Yeah, don't worry, Camelot's home to. Gaius, Gwen, Morgana and you are all my family to." Merlin said, a faint blush on his cheeks. Arthur felt a warm feeling fill his chest at the boy's words. Smiling Arthur doing his arm around the teen's soldiers. "You're sick a girls petticoat Merlin, and I wouldn't have you any other way." Arthur smiled bringing his friend, no his brother, into a headlock while ruffling his hair.