Twelve Parcels in silk
Present the Second: Midwinter's Day is a Good Name Day
Arthur really hated Merlin. No, that wasn't quite right; he really hated getting presents for Merlin.
He could still remember the horrible weeks before Merlin's coming of age where he spent days thinking and worrying over what to get his manservant of all people. As king he didn't need to get Merlin anything but he had learnt from Gwaine (amidst his drunken half sentences) that everyone in his bloody castle gave Merlin a present. Apart from him.
Granted, his definition of everyone really just included Leon, Percival, Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan, Gwen and Gaius but still, everyone that was friends with Merlin gave him a present for his birthdays. Arthur had never even thought of giving his manservant anything (he didn't even know the date of Merlin's birth) and to learn that the first time he had decided to give Merlin something happened to be his coming of age had freaked him out.
Now he faced the beast of Midwinter. No doubt everyone will be getting Merlin something again and he'll probably have to get everyone else something too because they'll get him something and it's all a big annoying circle of giving and receiving. But the thing about Merlin is that he couldn't just give him anything, he had to actually think about what to get Merlin.
For example his knights he could just give them some stuff to do with weapons or hunting, Gwen he could just get something girly and Gaius he had already bought a rare book about herbs from a trader the other day so that left Merlin. He knew that if he got something impersonal for Merlin then his manservant will be disappointed while not trying to be disappointed and probably will make his time at the festival hell.
So he needed to think of something to get Merlin that shows that he's thought a lot about it. He considered getting him a cloak, he was always shivering since his clothes are so thin, but decided it wasn't good enough so he thought of getting some thicker clothes for him. Then he remembered the boots he gave Merlin for his coming of age and decided that to give more clothes would show that he wasn't smart enough to think of other things.
The problem was, he really wasn't smart enough to think of something else (though he'd never admit that not even if five million arrows were pointed at him and he was threatened with a painful, horrifying death). He doubt Merlin would be happy with a new dagger or sword and he probably wouldn't appreciate a shiny hair pin or fabric for a new dress. He had the idea of getting him a new horse but remembered that Merlin liked Blaze (his current horse) even though she was getting slow and tended to trip on objects when trying to jump them.
He never planned to get Merlin what he ended up getting him but he had been out in the market with Merlin again and when he had seen how his manservant had cooed over them, he had decided to get them for him. It only made him more determined when he had seen how sad Merlin had been to be parted from them, muttering about how he wished he had a larger room.
So that is how he came to be in the position of standing in the corner of his great hall and his Midwinter feast with a strip of red silk in hand, fidgeting nervously. He never could figure out why his manservant (who couldn't hurt a fly) could make him more nervous than he would have been facing down a five-headed lion.
He watched as Merlin laughed at Gwaine's joke (no doubt inappropriate for such an occasion) and purposefully headed in his direction. He stopped near their table and said like a true king, "Merlin, come with me."
Merlin looked up from the goblet of wine in his hands and stopped laughing.
"Uh, okay Arthur, just a sec."
Arthur scowled like the good master he was and waited impatiently for his manservant to get up and follow him like he had been told.
Once they got outside of the great hall and started heading down the hallway towards the hall of unused bedchambers, Merlin asked in a manner unbefitting of a manservant.
"Where are we going? Its Midwinter Arthur can't your horse wait 'til tomorrow to have their stables mucked?"
"Merlin why would I be coming with you if you were going to muck the stables?"
He looked at his manservant questioningly and smirked when he got no reply.
"Stop here."
Merlin looked around where he stood and ask, "What are we doing Arthur? There's nothing here!"
"Turn around."
"Why?"
He received a suspicious look from Merlin and he said sharply without any real heat, "Can't you do what you're told for once in your life!"
It hadn't been a question but Merlin answered stubbornly, "No."
Arthur threw his hands up in annoyance and glared at the lanky man in front of him. He grabbed him by the shoulders and twisted him around, ignoring the protesting, "Hey!"
He wrapped the red silk snugly around his manservant's head, temporarily blinding him, and started leading him down the corridor of doors. He once again ignored the displeased noises and protests from Merlin and continued until he reached a certain oak door. He opened the room without using his key since he had left it unlocked the last time he came to check up on them.
He turned Merlin to face his present and asked, "Ready?"
"For what you great prat!"
"I'll take that as a yes."
And he proceeded to take the blindfold off Merlin's eyes. He smiled as the other man gasped at the site and he grinned when Merlin started heading towards the presents, each with a mini red silk bow on their neck.
Merlin turned to him and said, "Arthur you didn't."
He grinned and then gave a smirk and raised his eyebrows, "But I did."
He felt a knot in his stomach come undone as he watched the happiness shine from his manservant's face and he was so, so glad that he chose the right present once again. He watched as Merlin played with them and then he startled when the raven head suddenly tensed.
"Arthur… what is this room for?"
Arthur grinned again and gave a shrug, "Them, I figured since you do have room, they could just take up one of these rooms. No one lives around here anyways and it has a door that connects outside. I even fenced off the area outside so they won't run away."
Merlin looked at him unbelievingly and asked, "You fenced off this area?"
Arthur looked a bit guilty at that and said warily, "Well the knights did help-"
"You mean they did everything."
The king looked scandalised at that and said outrageously, "No! I helped but I, eh, didn't do everything by myself is all."
Merlin grunted at that and then he seemed to realise what it was that Arthur had just said and looked panicked.
"This, this whole room and the outside area is for them?"
"Well, yes. I thought that they would want some fresh air in the day time so I thought that by fencing it off they won't run away and get lost."
Arthur felt nervous again and asked slowly and unsurely, "You do like this right?"
"Of course you big prat! It's wonderful!"
Arthur smiled happily and said, "Happy Midwinter Merlin."
Merlin grinned back at him and he felt himself blush (why was he blushing?) at the joyful grin.
"Happy Midwinter Arthur. Oh, and" he turned towards them and said, "Happy Midwinter Merthur and Arlin!"
Arthur gaped at him and said, "They're girls Merlin!"
"Yeah, so?"
"You can't name them Merthur and Arlin!"
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!"
In their comfortable homes, two little white bunnies happily nibbled on their carrots and listened to their papas arguing over their names.
(On that Midwinter's day the names Merthur and Arlin officially became suitable names for girls.)