Right then, second one-shot. I must say that I am flattered at everyone's lovely response, especially considering how that wasn't the easiest story to read since it didn't have a lot of descriptions. There was less to feed the imagination. Hopefully this one is better.
How Far He Would Go: Someone comes and visits Merlin and Arthur hears a surprising story. After the story Arthur begins to realize some very interesting and dangerous things about Merlin. This knowledge will definitely effect their future. This takes place sometime after season four in the as yet un-aired season five.
"Merlin, it's just a scratch. I've had far worse, I don't need Gaius to examine it," Arthur exclaimed but did not try to keep Merlin from pulling him along the corridors and hallways leading to Gaius chambers.
"You're the king, Arthur, no matter how minor the injury it should be checked out. And if you're foolish enough to continue training the knights on top of all of your other duties than the least we can do is make sure you're in perfect health for it," Merlin answered without looking back at the grumbling royal.
"You know, Merlin," Arthur said a bit prattishly, "if you are so keen on helping me then maybe you could bring me my food on time for once or maybe spend a little less time at the tavern. That would be of far more use to me than having Gaius stare at a tiny scratch for a couple of minutes then tell me it's fine, because it is."
Merlin stopped in front of a very familiar door and turned back to Arthur. "We're already here so you might as well stop whining and get it over with. Besides, I think anything that's soaked through half your sleeve is more than a scratch, sire,"
Arthur scowled at Merlin's mocking use of his title and was about to make a jibe of his own when the door was pulled open to reveal Gaius on the other side.
"Oh! Merlin," the physician exclaimed, "I was just about to look for you."
"Why?" Merlin asked worriedly, "Is something wrong?"
The old man smiled and Arthur noticed a light appear in his eyes that he had never seen before. "Not exactly," he replied and then stepped away from the door.
Arthur's head turned sharply as he heard Merlin's gasp and it took him a moment to comprehend what he was seeing. There, standing in the middle of the room was someone that Arthur had only seen a few times, but had already grown fond of.
"Mother?" Merlin asked as if he couldn't believe his own eyes.
Hunith smiled and held her arms out. "Merlin!"
Merlin ran forward, joyfully crying, "Mother!" The two of them met half way and practically threw themselves into an embrace.
Arthur was content to lean back and watch from the sidelines and mother and son reunited again. The two finally pulled away and Arthur could see pure joy written all over Merlin's face. Arthur had seen Merlin happy plenty of times, in fact, he trouble thinking of more than a handful of times when he wasn't happy. Even when he complained about some chore that Arthur gave him he still had that glint of joy in his eyes.
But looking at him now the joy seemed different, more complete. It was almost as if having his mother here filled up an empty space in his heart and now he was whole.
It warmed Arthur's heart to see his servant so happy and for a couple of moments he completely forgot about the throbbing pain in his arm or the fact that he and Merlin were 'supposed' to be arguing.
"Merlin, I've missed you so much, you have no idea," Hunith said as she looked her boy over, insuring for herself that nothing was wrong with him. All mothers have a tendency to worry.
"I think I have a pretty good idea," Merlin replied and Arthur couldn't help but wonder how he could speak with such a wide grin splitting his face. "It's so good to see you!" Merlin beamed and Arthur could swear that he was radiating light.
Suddenly Merlin frown slightly and he began to search his mother with his gaze. "But why are you here? Is something wrong? Are you hurt?" Merlin's features became serious and Arthur saw a glimpse of something he had only seen a few times, the first one being when Hunith had come to Camelot all those years ago.
It was a kind of fierce protectiveness and anger, but not at her, at anyone who dared to hurt her. Arthur couldn't help the shiver that ran down his back and he got the distinct feeling that when Merlin had that look in his eyes whoever was on the receiving end of it would soon find themselves in great pain. It was hard for Arthur to imagine Merlin hurting anyone, but with that anger in his eyes Arthur knew that he was more than capable of it.
Understanding quickly dawned on Hunith's face and a little bit of guilt appeared. She was swift to assure him. "Oh, no, nothing like that. I didn't mean to worry you; I merely wanted to see my son, who hasn't gone to see his mother in a very long time!" Her face was covered in mock anger and she seemed to be guilt-tripping him, which, unfortunately, it was very easy to do with Merlin.
Merlin immediately looked contrite. "I'm sorry, mother; I know I should visit more often." He ducked his head in shame.
"I understand," Hunith said reassuringly, "you are very busy here. And your work is important."
"Oh, yeah," Merlin scoffed, "washing Arthur's socks is very important. The kingdom would fall if they stayed dirty for too long!"
Arthur scowled and wanted to reply, but thought better of it, he wasn't really a part of this conversation.
Hunith smacked him lightly and harmlessly on his arm. "I didn't just mean that," she chuckled, "but the other work you do."
Arthur was briefly confused as to what she meant and because of that he missed the look of panic that crossed Merlin's face.
"I just meant," Hunith said calmly and deliberately while looking into Merlin's eyes, "that you have a lot of friends here," she shifted her gaze upon Arthur and Gaius for a moment and smiled, "and I know from experience how great a comfort it is to have you nearby. A shoulder to cry on. If there's anything you're good at, my son, it's being a wonderful friend." She smiled that sweet, motherly smile of hers.
Merlin seemed to glow at his mother's praise and grinned back.
Arthur's first instinct; however, was to laugh at that idea. But when he thought about it he realized Hunith was right. On more than one occasion Arthur could think of when Merlin had been the perfect friend to him or someone else. Sometimes those acts of friendship would be as simple as listening to a friend's worries, or as drastic as putting himself in harm's way for a friend. Arthur shuddered once more at the memory of that particular event. That was not something that should ever have happened.
Mother and son turned away from each other and Hunith went over to Arthur. "It's good to see you again as well, sire," she said and began to curtsy.
Arthur waved his hand and said, "No, Hunith, no need. It's good to see you, too." Arthur smiled warmly. It didn't seem right to have Merlin's mother call him sire or bow to him, Arthur felt that in some ways they were closer than that.
Hunith looked like she was about to say something when he eyes landed on his arm. "What's wrong with your arm?" she gasped.
Gaius' head swiveled around and zeroed in on the offensive wound. "It looks bad, Arthur," the old man said as he walked over and inspected it. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Arthur fumbled for words for a moment. "I guess I forgot." Arthur's eyes found Merlin's and the boy smirked at him, apparently he was glad that Gaius had sided with him on the whole 'bad, not bad' issue.
The manservant grabbed a box from a corner of the room that seemed to hold a lot of Gaius' medical supplies and then brought them to the table that the physician had been steering Arthur and Hunith toward. "Because Arthur can't train his knights as much as he used to, he pushes them extra hard when he does. Apparently the hard work is paying off because when Arthur was fighting with four of them today one of them managed to clip his arm."
Arthur sat down to the table and prepared himself for the inevitable poking and prodding that no doubt would soon follow. "They are improving," he stated as he gazed appreciatively at the throbbing wound.
"Well," said Gaius as Arthur winced from a particularly painful prod from him, "it's not too deep, but you'll probably have to lay off of the training for a little while. They shall just have to get along without you, sire."
"Well, I wouldn't worry," Merlin pitched in, grinning as his hand absent-mindedly traced some of the various cuts and nicks in the wood of the table. "No doubt they will actually do better without your instruction for a little while."
Arthur's face became hard. "Oh, and why is that, Merlin?" he asked, already preparing several insults in the back of his brain.
"Firstly," Merlin replied in a tone that almost always preceded an insult or a jibe, "it will probably be easier on them if they don't have to stare at your scary and ugly face. It must be hard to concentrate on following orders if you're the one giving them," Arthur scowled and picked out his comeback, but Merlin continued before he could use it. "But mostly because the knight that wounded you is most likely more than a little frightened right about now."
That last bit confused Arthur. "Why would he be frightened? And don't say because of my face."
"Because, Arthur," Merlin answered in a slightly patronizing tone, "you're the king, now. He wounded his king, albeit accidentally and during a tough training, but it's still not something that a knight every wants to do. You have to remember, Arthur, that not everyone is as immune to your temper as I am. Hurting you, however lightly, must have made him pretty nervous.
"You, Arthur, see his being able to even touch you as a welcome sign of improvement, but he sees it as injuring the man he's supposed to protect.
"I tried to tell him before we left that he did very well and he was to be proud of himself, but I don't know if he took it to heart."
Arthur was surprised. He had never really seen it that way before. If what Merlin said was true then he would have to be sure to encourage and congratulate the knight next time he saw him, hopefully negating any of his worries or fears. Arthur looked up thoughtfully at his manservant and said simply, "Thank you, Merlin." Then, after a pause. "Because you showed that you actually pay attention to some things around here, I'll let your lie about my looks pass." He smirked playfully at the boy.
Arthur realized that Gaius had stopped tending to his arm and he looked up at the physician. He saw a look of pride on Gaius' face and it was clearly directed at Merlin. Arthur swiveled his head and saw that Hunith's face across from him mirrored the old man's pride. Merlin; however, was completely oblivious to the affection in the eyes of his mother and his mentor and was, instead, staring as some of the interesting designs of the wood grain.
Suddenly Merlin's stomach rumbled and the odd moment was broken and Gaius cracked a smile as Merlin gave a sheepish one. "Don't worry, my boy," Gaius said, "When I'm finished with Arthur's arm so I can get on to making supper, which will be good since you haven't been eating enough lately as it is."
Arthur completely missed the worried look that crossed over Hunith's face or Gaius' reassuring but grim answering look. And he totally missed the old and weary expression claimed Merlin's face as he morphed from the innocent, young boy to the tired fighter who had seen too many battles and lost too many loved ones. That gaze from Merlin told it all, that he hadn't been neglecting food out of carelessness or forgetfulness as he was sometimes inclined to do. No, the past couple of years, especially the most recent one with Morgana and Uther's death, had been hard and unrelenting in its cruelty. Some days there just hadn't been enough time to eat.
No, Arthur missed all of that short exchange as he was thinking of how he had really come to love Merlin's mother even though he hadn't seen her much. She was just so kind and loving and sweet and Arthur liked to think that his mother had been that way. Truthfully, Arthur felt like Hunith was family just as Gaius and Merlin were. Eventually, Arthur broke out of his thoughts and looked up at his friends.
Merlin looked pleased at the news of food and for a few moments there was blissful silence until the manservant's face abruptly lit up. "Mother, I have something for you, a gift." He practically jumped to his feet. "Only, I'm not entirely sure where it is so I might have to search for it a bit." He dashed for his room and Arthur couldn't help thinking that he hadn't seen Merlin this energetic in over a year.
As Arthur watched him disappear into his room he couldn't help but think that it would be pretty entertaining to witness Merlin half tear apart his room in search for whatever it was he had gotten his mother. Obviously Gaius and Hunith had the same thought, for, as one, they got up and made their way to Merlin's messy room.
Clothes were strewn all over his floor and Merlin was currently sifting through them. Arthur lent back against the frame of the door and watched as Merlin moved from searching his clothes to digging through some of his cabinets and drawers. Merlin's movements were so scattered and hectic that if it had been anyone else Arthur would have been afraid that they were having a seizure or something. But as it was Arthur could see that there was some sort of pattern and logic to the odd way Merlin canvassed his room. Still, though, it was rather funny to watch him begin to bend down to search something only to reconsider half way through and shoot back up again and search some sort of crevice in his wall. Yes, definitely amusing.
Finally, Merlin found whatever it was he was looking for in the back of a drawer and he whooped triumphantly. Arthur started to grin at the childish noise but then stopped himself. When was the last time he had heard Merlin make such an innocent sound of joy? When the manservant had first come to Camelot he was very much a boy, taking pleasure in the tiniest of things and was quick to forgive and move on from anything that did happen.
But this energy that Arthur saw now, the childish happiness that was so pure and innocent, this was something that he hadn't seen in ages. Merlin's ability to find joy in the smallest of things seemed to have disappeared as of late and he had become darker, sadder, less likely to burst into a grin.
And it was only now that Arthur witnessed the happiness of old that Arthur realized exactly how much Merlin had changed…but into what?
Merlin sprinted over to them and pulled them all over to sit on his bed. He said to his mother, "So, the other day I saw this in the market place and I immediately thought of you. You always did like things that lit up." Merlin smiled got the feeling that the last bit had been some sort of inside joke.
Merlin held out his hand and dropped whatever was in it into his mother's open palm.
Hunith gasped and Arthur had to keep himself from doing the same as they all saw Merlin's gift. On an intricate silver chain was a crystal shaped like a star. It was incredibly beautiful for a crystal and it seemed to sparkle with light. Arthur couldn't believe that Merlin could afford something like this, or if he could why he wouldn't spend the money on some more useful things that he obviously needed judging by the state of his room.
"Oh, my boy," Hunith said fondly, looking up at her son with wet eyes, "it's beautiful. But why? Surely it must have cost a lot," she asked concernedly.
Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. Not for me anyway. I rarely ever spend the wages I get from serving Arthur on anything worth more than a few coins, so I actually have a fair amount saved up. Besides, it's not like it's a diamond, it's just crystal."
"But still," Hunith said in awe, "I didn't think you could have much money left since you send me so much every month." She gazed at her son questioningly.
Arthur was surprised. He never really thought to ask what Merlin did with his wages, though in retrospect he really should've because it was painfully obvious that the boy wasn't spending on his clothes. The ones he currently had were just as shabby as ever. He'd always assumed that Merlin used it on whatever it was that kept him constantly late to work or something. Possibly trips to the tavern. But he had never even considered that Merlin sent money to his mother, though, now that he did it made perfect sense. It was just the sort of thing that Merlin would do.
"Remember, Mother," Merlin answered kindly, "what is a lot of money to people from Ealdor isn't that much for people in Camelot. Our needs are basic in Ealdor and we grow most of our own food, but the people here don't—can't. Here," Merlin held out his hand, "let me put it on you."
She let him and once Merlin clasped it around her neck he lent back to take a look. It seemed as if it was made for her. It was just right; it didn't outshine her or look out of place, instead the simple yet beautiful necklace complemented her. Its beauty seemed to meld with her own and become one. It seemed almost as if it had always meant to be there.
Gaius smiled. "You look amazing, Hunith. It fits you perfectly." Arthur nodded in agreement, but then jerked slightly as Gaius continued his work on his arm.
"Yes, it does," Merlin agreed, and, if possible, his face lit up even more. "But that's not even the best part of this gift. Come over here." Merlin led his mother by the hand and brought her over into the yellow light form one of his windows.
The crystal seemed to almost suck in the light as it shined brighter and brighter. Then the light began to get reflected outward again but this time in a slightly different form. In a corner of the room, where the crystal was casting its light, a sparkling shape began to form, the form of a regal deer, proud and mighty.
Hunith gasped again. "Merlin! How?"
Merlin smiled sheepishly. "The man I bought it from said that at different times of the day the light it casts takes the shapes of different animals and even a few flowers. He said that it all depends on the time of day and which way you're facing, but you're almost always guaranteed to see something if there's light. He said that it's almost magical."
Hunith smiled in delight and Arthur thought that in that moment she looked years younger. She drew Merlin into a hug. "It's beautiful, Merlin, thank you so much."
The two of them pulled apart and went back to sit on Merlin's lumpy bed. For a little while there was silence, with Hunith every now and then glancing at her necklace and admiring it. Arthur realized that this was possibly one of the few times he had actually heard Merlin stay silent by choice. But then again, perhaps Merlin's mother just provoked strange reactions in people. Arthur, for instance, found that he was perfectly fine with having next to no attention on him. It certainly wasn't normal for him to be the one on the sidelines, but in this case he didn't actually mind it. It was rather interesting just to watch Merlin.
"So, has everything been all right in Ealdor?" Merlin asked eventually when he seemed to emerge from whatever thoughts he was having.
Hunith winced slightly at the question, which was odd, but then answered. "Uh, yes, for the most part everything is the same as when you left, Merlin. Except…" she trailed off.
"Except what?" Merlin asked curiously when it seemed like his mother wasn't going to finish her sentence.
Hunith sighed resignedly. "I didn't mean to tell you, but…the Henderson family came through town a week ago."
Merlin sucked in a big breath of air and in his peripheral vision Arthur could see Gaius stiffen. Arthur was confused. Whoever this Henderson family was he had no idea and he was definitely out of the loop.
Merlin, unlike his mother and mentor, didn't tense up at all; he merely seemed to take the news in as he would anything else. He nodded his head thoughtfully. "And this is the first time since—"
"Yes," Hunith cut him off by answering, "it is."
Merlin peered intently at his mother and seemed to be reading her expression. "And how is James?"
His mother actually seemed to do a double take. "I…I'm not sure. I came to see you shortly after they arrived in town. But what little I saw of him he seemed to be good, healthy."
Merlin nodded his head once more and a faint smile graced his lips. "That's good. I never knew what happened to him. It's good to know that he's fine."
Arthur was starting to get annoyed now. He was really missing a lot and he didn't like the feeling, but at the same time he knew that this wasn't something he should just barge his way into. He and Gaius were on the sidelines and they had very little say in anything that went on between Merlin and his mother. So the only way Arthur could learn what they were talking about would be to analyze everything they said and did very carefully. Currently, both Hunith and Gaius were looking slightly shocked at Merlin's words, yet they didn't say anything.
Silence reigned again, but this time it was a far less comfortable silence. Finally, though, Gaius seemed to finish up on Arthur's arm and the king actually felt a bit better now that all the poking and prodding was done.
"There you go, sire," Gaius said, "your arm should be fine, just no training for a little while. And I should change the bandages at least once a day." He turned to Merlin and Hunith—Merlin seemed lost in thought while Hunith seemed to be lost in an unpleasant memory— "I can start making supper, now."
Hunith's face brightened as an idea sprung in her mind. "Merlin, why don't you cook for us? I haven't had your soup in ages. I've tried recreating it but it's never as good as yours. I miss your soup, and you." She rubbed his arm lovingly.
Merlin sighed good-naturedly. "All right, but I don't think Gaius has everything in, so I'll have to get them from the kitchens." He looked at each of them in turn. "No swapping stupid and funny stories about me while I'm gone."
Arthur smirked. "All right, we can do that while we're eating. I'm sure I have plenty of stories your mother would just love to hear."
Merlin scowled and then ran out of the room and into the next one and then out that door.
"Is his soup really that good?" Arthur asked.
Gaius and Hunith nodded emphatically. "It is," Gaius answered. "It's rare that I've tasted something better than his soup."
"I'm a little ashamed to admit that it's one of the things I miss most with him gone," Hunith confessed.
Arthur grinned. "I bet that getting peace and quiet for once is nice, though."
Hunith smiled in return. "Well, I am his mother; I had plenty of years to get used to his chatter. Besides, I've learned that when it comes to Merlin silence is usually a bad omen."
Arthur couldn't argue with that. If Merlin was ever silent it usually meant that something had happened to the boy, or worse…he was actually thinking.
Arthur caught Gaius throwing Hunith a look and the king could tell that there was something the two wished to speak about, and it didn't take a genius to guess what. "You know," Arthur began slowly, "I realize that it's none of my business and that you have no obligation to tell me whatsoever, but I can't help wondering exactly what happened with this…James?" Arthur wasn't going to try to force the information out, even though he was dying to, because in his own way he respected Hunith far too much for that.
Hunith sighed and looked at him almost fondly and rather sadly, too. "Well, after everything you heard you might as well know. This particular event—or events as I should say—taught me a valuable lesson about my son that you might want to learn if you already haven't. I'll tell the story, but I warn you, it isn't pleasant and to this day I…can't help but shudder when I think about it."
Arthur briefly considered taking back his request, but no matter how awful it was he still wanted to know.
"When Merlin was a young boy," Hunith began, looking down at her entwined hands, "he was a rather lonely child. All the adults in the town thought he was funny and kind, but the kids his age just thought he was strange and they kept their distance from him. Merlin was very lonely and he kept to himself since no one wanted to be around him. That is, he did until the day he met Will. The two of them formed a bond instantly. It was practically impossible to separate them." She smiled at the memory and Arthur felt something that might be a…pang of jealousy?
"In a way they complemented each other. Evened out each other's rough patches and kept the other from doing anything too stupid. They had a friendship that anyone in their right mind would envy…which was the problem." Hunith looked up and met Arthur's eyes and the king could see that this story was hurting her.
"There was a family of traders that passed through our town back then. They were nice people; they didn't overcharge us and rarely ever haggled. They understood that we were a small community and didn't have much. They had a son that was perhaps a few years older than Merlin, who was ten at the time, maybe nine. And this boy hated Merlin and Will, especially when he saw their friendship in action."
Arthur felt a small shiver travel down his spine. This story was obviously leading nowhere good.
"From what I've gathered I know that one day this boy, James, saw Merlin and Will playing together, no doubt witnessing the beautiful friendship they had. Now, James was a large and strong boy, he was used to lifting heavy objects and such for his family when they traded. And when he saw Merlin go off somewhere, leaving Will alone, James went over to Will and began to hit him. Hard." Hunith's eyes were beginning to dampen.
"When Merlin returned he saw his best friend in the whole world, the only kid who didn't treat him like a freak, being beaten and he naturally stepped in. He pulled James off of Will and told him to stop, to leave him alone. As you can imagine James didn't take very well to that." Hunith's voice broke here and Gaius put a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"Merlin got Will home safely and he might have thought that that was the end of it. But the next day James found him alone and started b-beating him." Hunith had to stop here and draw in a huge breath. It was obvious that she was having trouble holding it together. "When Merlin came home that day he didn't tell me what had happened, he hid the bruises. And that happened every day for the next week until James and his family left town, and I never knew."
Guilt was plain in Hunith's eyes and Arthur felt his heart go out to her. This was not something a mother should ever have to go through, and, to be honest, this story was making his gut clench and an odd anger to boil up inside of him.
"But it didn't stop there," Hunith continued, hardly even trying to keep her emotions in check anymore. "The next time his family stopped in town he would seek Merlin out and beat him again, and every time that he did it got a little bit worse. You see, Merlin didn't put up a fight, he didn't yell or scream or plead for him to stop. He didn't so much as glare at the boy, even though he could have done much worse. I know it may be hard to imagine, but growing up Merlin was more than capable of defending himself, he probably could have ended the beatings if he had tried. But he didn't. It went on for six months, with the family sometimes staying for as long as three weeks when they passed through. And I never even suspected."
Tears were streaming down Hunith's face, now, but Arthur still had to ask. "If the beatings kept getting worse, surely you would have seen something, some sort of sign?" Arthur needed to understand why this had happened. Already in his mind he was seeing flashes of red and ideas of planning on teaching this kid a lesson. This was a whole lot worse than anything he could have imagined. Merlin being abused like that, and on such a constant basis, too. The very idea caused Arthur to feel sick and made him wish he had a sword in his hand to swing at something.
Arthur saw, if possible, even more guilt poor into Hunith's eyes. "There were signs. Sometimes he would have bruises on his face, or wince unexpectedly, or even be walking with a slight limp. Of course I would ask what was wrong and Merlin would tell me that he and Will had pulled some sort of stupid stunt or he had fallen and sprained his ankle. I shouldn't have believed it, but the sad truth was that Merlin was very accident prone as a kid and it wasn't too uncommon to see him sporting some sort of minor injury, especially after he met Will. Naturally, that still didn't mean that I liked it, but other than scolding him and telling him to be more careful there wasn't much I could do. I saw how good Will was for Merlin, and vice versa, I couldn't very well break up their friendship. Besides, when Merlin was with Will it seemed like he couldn't feel any pain. Little did I know that these new injuries were not only not from stunts with Will, but also far more extensive."
She gazed seriously at Arthur. "You have no idea how good Merlin is at hiding his pain. Even as a toddler he never cried from pain. So I didn't truly suspect anything, but I wish I had. But that's still no excuse.
"Like I said, it went on for six months, and during that time no one knew that Merlin was…was being beaten so badly. And it was bad, it got really bad. It only stopped when one day Will stepped in on James beating Merlin. Will got so angry and his anger made him so powerful that he went as far as to knock James unconscious. Then he brought Merlin to me. I was the closest thing the town had to a healer, so I knew what to do.
"When Will left I asked Merlin why he had let it happen, why he hadn't told me, and how long it had been going on." Hunith broke off in a sob, here. "I couldn't believe what he told me. He said he hadn't told me because Will had begged him not to. He told how it had started with Will being beaten up just that once and how after it had happened the boy had asked Merlin not to tell anyone. Will had just lost his father at that time and the last thing he wanted was to let anyone see him as weak. In fact, Merlin was the only person he'd ever open up to, the only one he'd let see even a hint of any form of weakness. He said that he didn't want to risk breaking that promise."
Arthur stared, dumbfounded. He would go through all that for a promise?
"But he said that that wasn't the only reason. He also was afraid that by pulling himself out of James' line of fire he'd merely go back to hurting Will, and Merlin wouldn't allow that.
"And when I asked him why he didn't defend himself, do you know what he told me? He said that he didn't want to hurt James."
Arthur felt himself do a mental double-take. Merlin had been beaten and abused for six months and he didn't try to help himself because he didn't want to hurt the boy that was causing all his pain? There weren't words to describe how shocked Arthur was.
"I asked him why that was," Hunith continued, her tears finally beginning to slow down some, "and he said that he pitied James. He said that he knew how he felt and he was sorry for him. He said to me, 'mother, I know how it feels to have no friends. To be on the outside looking in at what you can't have and desperately want…it's enough to make anyone angry. Seeing me and Will together having fun must have been maddening.'
"And Merlin was right. James and his family traveled all around, never staying in one place long enough for him to make friends. He was someone who got to observe normal life every day, but was constantly kept from it. Merlin empathized with him, understood his pain and why he had to inflict it on others, and that's why he didn't left even a finger to defend himself." Hunith paused for a moment. She exhaled heavily and Arthur could tell that the worst was over.
"Naturally I talked to James' parents and they were immediately horrified at what their son had done. They were good people and they decided that they would no longer trade with us so that we wouldn't have to be reminded of James had done anymore. They promised to send other traders they knew to us and then left. They haven't so much as stepped a foot in Ealdor since about a week ago."
Hunith laughed breathily. "That's the real reason I came to visit, James was with them and every time I saw him I couldn't help but see what he did to my son. I needed to get away and be with Merlin. I kept seeing that last beating he gave to him…you have no idea how bad it was. Almost all of his ribs were broken and there was hardly an inch of skin on him that wasn't a deep shade of blue and black." Arthur sucked in a breath at that. The description alone was enough to make him want to rip someone's throat out.
"I guess I learned something very important about my son that day." Hunith continued. "Merlin is incredibly good at keeping secrets. He hates lying, but he's good at hiding things. But the only reason he excels at it is because he has a very good reason. If Merlin is keeping his silence about something then you can be sure it's for someone's own good. Pain doesn't matter to Merlin when it comes to protecting his friends. He'd endure anything for them," Hunith finished. She looked up at Arthur. "Remember that."
Arthur was speechless. He had no idea what to say, but thankfully he was saved from having to since just at that moment Merlin backed through the door carrying several trays that were holding steaming bowls of soup.
Everyone straightened up and tried to pretend like everything was fine. Arthur saw concern flash on Merlin's face for a second when he looked at his mother and the king could guess why. There were clear signs on Hunith's face that she had been crying and no amount of good acting would be able to hide that. But comprehension seemed to dawn on Merlin's face as he swiftly glanced around the room at all the stunned and shocked faces. His features immediately brightened and he plopped down on the bed with everyone else. Apparently he had no intention of mentioning what he had noticed, and Arthur could tell that his mother was grateful for that.
"Here," Merlin said as he handed a bowl to his mother, "one bowl of my famous soup. Careful, it's still really hot." He handed out the other dishes.
Arthur tentatively tasted it, fully prepared for it to be some sort of vile concoction, but he was oh so wrong. The soup was amazing! In all his years of being served the best food in the world nothing could even begin to compare to the thousand or so different flavors exploding on his tongue. "Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed, "This is wonderful!" Then he caught himself. "I mean good, it's good."
Merlin just grinned knowingly, almost making Arthur wish he'd never said anything.
"He's right, Merlin, this is amazing," Gaius complemented. "You should make this more often."
"I'd forgotten how good this was. I've missed this," Hunith said, smiling at her son, who was glowing from the praise. She seemed to be recovering from her previous emotions. "I've missed you."
Merlin grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, but you probably haven't missed worrying about me."
Hunith put her hand in her son's hair, stroking it fondly in a way that only a mother could get away with. "I'm your mother; I always worry about you, no matter where you are." She smiled sadly. "It doesn't help that you are one of those people who doesn't like to run from trouble."
Merlin stared at his mother with a serious expression in his eyes. "They are times when you can't run, you have to stand. I can't run from everything, mother, even if it's safer that way. If you run too far then you lose sight of what matters to you most."
Arthur was surprised as he always was when Merlin displayed his special brand of wisdom. There was actually a lot of truth to his words.
"You always were wise for your age, Merlin," his mother said affectionately.
"And yet, somehow, you're still an idiot," Arthur chimed in, grinning prattishly at his servant and trying to get the image of a bleeding Merlin out of his head.
Merlin scowled. "Nobody's perfect," he retorted, but his eyes twinkled with mirth.
No, Arthur thought, nobody is. But if Arthur had to say who was the closest Merlin would definitely be high on the list. After hearing this story as well as the one on the hunting trip about four months ago, not to mention the event that had occurred before that, he was starting to realize that Merlin was a far better man than anybody gave him credit for.
"Hey, Merlin?" Arthur asked absentmindedly as he took another big bite, "Have you made this soup before? It tastes familiar."
Merlin seemed surprised that Arthur had noticed. "Uh, yeah. I often make this when we're on a quest or a hunting trip. But I don't have nearly all the ingredients I need, so it's usually nowhere near as good. Still, though, I make do with what I've got." There almost seemed to be a double meaning behind his words.
So that's why Arthur felt like he had tasted it before, but it still was different. Arthur finished up his bowl and sighed. "I've got some duties to attend to," he said as he began to get up, wishing he didn't have to.
"Oh, no. Arthur, please stay," Hunith asked, sounding disappointed that he was leaving.
"I'm sorry, I can't," Arthur replied, genuinely sad that he had to go. "I promise to drop by later." And with that Arthur left, but not before he stole one last glance at Merlin. To look at him now, so happy with his mother, no one would ever think that he had gone through something so horrible was he was just a boy. Or that he was so strong. Though he had been reluctant to admit it, Arthur knew now, especially considering what had happened a few months ago, that Merlin was strong. He might not be able to swing a sword to save his life, but he did have a kind of strength in him, and only now was Arthur beginning to realize how destructive that strength was.
Merlin greatest strength was also his strongest weakness. He would do anything for the people he loved. His loyalty knew no bounds. And that gave him the power to do things and endure things that would be impossible for others. But in the process he often got hurt. Arthur had tried to deny what had been staring him in the face ever since that awful event, but he couldn't anymore.
Hunith was right; he had learned a valuable lesson from her story. Merlin needed help, he needed protection. He needed to be saved…from himself. How far he would go…just wasn't even worth thinking about.
Arthur was starting to see a new side of Merlin, one he may have always known was there, but had merely pretended not to. Truth was…Arthur was scared for Merlin because the boy was dangerous to himself and anyone who dared hurt his friends.
The only reason James had been let go was because Merlin had empathized with him. But Arthur knew that Merlin wouldn't forgive everybody…he'd seen it. That look in Merlin's eyes when…Arthur couldn't help but shudder at the memory.
It was becoming clearer and clearer to Arthur that there were people who wanted to hurt Merlin, as crazy as that might seem, and he was beginning to realize that he would have to protect Merlin not only from them, but also from himself.
As Arthur entered his room and slowly closed the door behind him he felt a chill creep up his spine. There had only been a few times in his life when he had been scared for Merlin and they were usually short lived. The boy almost always seemed to get better right away. But right now he was scared, and he wasn't entirely sure why. He could feel it…something is coming…and whatever it was it is coming for Merlin.
"You have no idea how good Merlin is at hiding his pain."
"Merlin is incredibly good at keeping secrets."
"Remember that."
Arthur plopped down on his bed. Yes, there was no doubt about it. He was going to have to keep a closer eye on Merlin. Make sure that nothing like what had happened to him as a kid would ever happen again. And perhaps just as important…find out more about him. Because it was getting painfully obvious that he didn't know Merlin as well as he thought he did.
Okay, I've got to say that I thought that that was a pretty epic ending to the chapter. Just sayin'. Now, I'm sure it's glaringly obvious to most of you that I was hinting at some event throughout the entire chapter, not to mention that I briefly brought it up in the last one, and so I'm going to explain a little bit. Originally this fic was supposed to just be a stream of random oneshots about Arthur observing Merlin, but now I've decided to make it more. While that basic idea will still apply, this will no longer be plot-less as a whole. I'm going to have a underlying story arc that I'm still shaping in my head throughout these chapters. The event that I mentioned over and over in this chapter is going to be very crucial to this story arc, and has already happened to our characters, but I haven't written yet. Eventually you all will know what I'm talking about, for now, though, you just have to let my tiny hints drive you insane. Fun, right? Anyway, I shall keep referencing various important things to this plot, so keep an eye out for that. Also, the previous one-shot was supposed to take place in the fourth season, but for timeline reasons it now officially takes place after the fourth season.
Please review and tell me what you think. And yes, I realize that this is officially the third time I've written about various traumatic things that have happened in Merlin's past. I'm sorry if it's getting old, I just really enjoy doing it. Oh, I this may be a two-shot, just so you know. I'm thinking about bringing James in the next chapter so that we can see more of what happened. If you like this idea please tell me and if you any other ideas for one-shots that you'd like me to use then feel free to share. Just remember that I don't do slash or future fics. Bye now!