Surprise! This chapter was finished a while ago, but I wanted to have a Cenred/Edwin chapter in between so it had to wait. But now you get two new chapters! As requested, there are more Merlin giggles and this is overall a happier chapter. I needed to balance out the last one.

Morgana was exhausted.

It wasn't that taking care of Merlin required any strenuous activity… or activity in general. It was quite depressing actually, but it felt like they were back at day one. Merlin spent most of the first few days sleeping. Between Gwen and herself, they were able to keep Merlin awake for meals and some playtime, however, it seemed that given the slightest opportunity he drifted off. There had even been one scary moment where he fell off his chair, asleep, in the middle of dinner!

It worried her. She didn't think it was particularly healthy for Merlin to sleep so much. He was nearly completely healed. His ribs were still bound daily and his arm immobilized in a sling. The bruise over his broken cheekbone was finally fading and altogether, Merlin was finally beginning to look like a healthy albeit skinny, boy. It was a quick recovery and the only way to justify it was that all the sleep was helping him heal. Her main concern was that Merlin might be sleeping so much to avoid missing Arthur and avoid thinking of Uther. She tried not to take it personally. After all, it had been Arthur that rescued Merlin and it was Arthur that had stepped in as his guardian of sorts. All she could do was be there for him while Arthur was away.

If there was one thing she was grateful for, was that Merlin appeared to sleep deeply. If he woke during the night, he didn't wake Morgana. Arthur had warned her about his nightmares but thus far it was her own dreams that worried her. She was afraid of having nightmares with him in the room. Part of her fear was that she might scare Merlin but the larger part of it was that she knew sometimes there was more to her dreams. It wouldn't do to have bottles shattering of their own accord or candles flaring dangerously. She doubled her draughts at night and it seemed to work. Soon, however, she would need to gather the supplies to replenish her dwindling stock. She hoped to take Merlin with them but was wary of Merlin's reaction to leaving the castle for the first time. She brought up the matter to Leon. They both talked about taking Merlin around the castle but the threat of Uther's presence without Arthur to calm him was enough excuse to keep them from wandering out.

Leon, who had taken to spending his free time in Morgana's chambers, had slightly more success at keeping Merlin awake with stories and play. His mornings were dedicated to training the squires and knights that remained but his afternoons and evenings he gave wholly to Merlin. He encouraged Merlin to move around during the day and told him stories of Arthur as a squire.

Katrina stayed away for a week before she approached Morgana. She came bearing gifts of cloth to make clothes for Merlin and it made Morgana suspicious. Perhaps Katrina wanted to spy for Uther? Whatever her initial reservations, she came around when Katrina interacted with Merlin. Like Leon, she told him stories and read to him from books. To everyone's surprise, Merlin chose to sit on Katrina's lap when she read to him, even when there were no pictures to look at. When the women sewed, Merlin flipped through the pages quietly and listened to their chatting. Katrina left when Leon returned and explained that she spent the rest of the day with Uther and other courtiers. Uther's concerns were eased by the knowledge that Morgana spent time with Katrina doing "womanly" things and by the scant reports of Merlin's behavior. In the end, it was Katrina's help in distracting Uther with courtiers that won her over. The almost daily lunches with select nobles would serve as opportunities to take Merlin around the castle without running into Uther.

And so they settled into a routine. Mornings belonged to the women and Merlin gradually woke earlier on his own to spend time with them. The afternoons were more active with Leon first getting Merlin to move about the room and eventually they began to walk out into the castle. They never went very far and Merlin gradually required less coaxing. Evenings were quiet. As he tired, Merlin curled up close to Leon and waited to be tucked in with a story.

It pleased her, that despite lacking child rearing experience, together they were able to care for Merlin.

Roughly a fortnight after Arthur's departure, they received the first message from Arthur. Following their agreement, the missives were brought to Leon who sent the report to the king and brought the letters to Morgana's chambers.

"Gaius left before Arthur's arrival, so Arthur will move on to the next village. The spread of the illness was tempered by Gaius' treatment however the people are still dying." Leon spoke quietly to Morgana and Gwen to avoid upsetting Merlin. He handed a letter to Morgana.

Merlin watched them curiously from his chair by the window. His cheeks and nose were pink from the cold but he always drifted there. They knew he was looking for Arthur. Morgana scanned her letter quickly and then called Merlin over. He came to stand by her chair.

"Arthur asked after you." Merlin moved to look at the letter. Morgana angled it towards him and pointed to the section for him. "He wants to know if you are eating and sleeping well. He says he expects you to run circles around him when he returns." Merlin looked up at her wide-eyed, then glanced at his feet. She chuckled. "He wanted me to tell you that he should know by the next message when he can return and not to worry." Merlin reached out hesitantly and traced the letters. Morgana gasped in surprise when she saw that Merlin was tracing the letters of his name. From the corner of her eye she saw Leon and Gwen turn to them. Trying to keep her voice calm, she asked, "Merlin, can you read?"

Merlin shrank away from her. He was holding his breath. Morgana immediately tugged him onto her lap. "There is nothing to be scared about! Can you point to your name?" She held the letter up. Merlin hesitated a moment longer before reaching out to trace his name again. Then his finger moved to the top of the letter and pointed to Morgana's name. He placed his finger on her hand. Morgana laughed delightedly. "Yes! That's right, Merlin. That's my name!"

When Merlin heard her laugh, he smiled shyly and looked back at the letter. He traced Leon's name and pointed at Leon who was now standing beside them. Leon chuckled and nodded. Merlin went back to the letter but he frowned.

He pointed at Gwen questioningly. Gwen flushed and stammered. "Oh, my name is probably not there, Merlin."

Morgana shook her head. "Don't be silly, Gwen. You know Arthur is the only person who insists on calling you by your full name. Merlin, can you spot Guinevere? It's spelled G-U-"She stopped talking when Merlin excitedly reached out to trace Gwen's name. He beamed up at Gwen who was still flushing.

"He wrote about me?"

"Of course! He inquires about your health and thanks you for… for keeping me out of trouble!" Merlin was biting his lip to stop the smile. "Am I trouble, Merlin? Has Arthur been telling you stories about me?" She tickled his belly gently and was rewarded by a giggle. Leon picked him up and settled him on his hip before showing him his letter. He pointed to a section and Morgana watched with interest as Merlin slowly, but surely, read what was written. When he began to giggle again, she stood up to read the section for herself. I hope Morgana isn't proving to be too troublesome for you.

"Oh, just you wait! I am going to write back about all the trouble he can expect when he returns!" She walked away to fetch her stationery kit to the tune of Merlin's giggles. As she carried the tray to the table, it occurred to her that if Merlin was able to read, perhaps he was also able to write. She laid out her paper and then took Merlin back from Leon. "Merlin, can you write?"

He bit his lip but nodded less hesitantly than before. "Can you write the alphabet for me?" She settled Merlin in the chair and pushed the ink pot close. His little face was serious as he looked over the paper and around the room. He nodded, as if to himself, before reaching for the quill with a shaky hand. He carefully dipped into the ink and blotted a drop off before looking up one more time.

Leon sat in the next chair and smiled encouragingly. "I want to see you write, Merlin. Go ahead." He looked at Morgana and Gwen. "Well don't stand over him like scolding teachers. Sit and we can talk while Merlin writes."

Morgana recognized what Leon wanted. Hovering over Merlin was only making him nervous. She sat on Merlin's other side and pulled Gwen into the chair next to her. They talked about Arthur's letter and discussed what might be happening in the villages until Merlin finished. He was just as careful when finishing; he wiped the nib before setting the quill down and set the stopper on the ink pot. They talked a while longer to hide the fact that they were all watching closely and finally Morgana, unable to hide her curiosity any longer, leaned over to see.

She was surprised. Merlin's letters were neatly written – unnaturally so for someone so young. She thought Merlin would know some letters or be able to write only messily, yet his letters were formed quite uniformly. The only obvious flaw was the tilt to his writing. The style was simple, no flourishing or unnecessary curves. Quite beautiful in its simplicity, it looked like the kind of sampler she would have learned from! She took the sheet to study closely. "Merlin, this is amazing! Where did you learn to write like this?"

She saw Merlin duck his head unhappily. Before she could ask what was wrong, Leon reached over to pat Merlin on the head. "That looks like the result of long hours of practice. You're writing is much better than both Arthur's and Morgana's at your age. In fact, I'm sure Arthur barely knew his letters at your age."

Morgana laughed at Merlin's wide-eyed look. Leon continued, "Arthur was a terror for his tutors. He kept running away from them. I found him once, you know, in the kennels!" He leaned closer to Merlin. "And another time I found him trapped in a hole at the back of the armory. I believe his tutor cornered him, and upon noticing Arthur's predicament, left him there as punishment." Leon chuckled softly. Merlin was hardly breathing in shock. A hiccup started him giggling and they all laughed.

Morgana pulled out a new sheet of parchment and handed it to Leon. She turned back to Merlin. "Merlin, would you like to write to Arthur? It would be a wonderful surprise!" Merlin nodded enthusiastically. "Good! Leon, perhaps you could rule the paper for him. As beautiful as Merlin writes, I think he is used to lined parchment." Merlin nodded and carefully handed the quill to Leon.

When it came time for Merlin to write, he looked around at them, lost. Leon had gone to write his own response in his chambers. "Do you need help, Merlin?" Merlin shook his head, paused, and nodded. "Don't know what to write?" Morgana guessed.

He nodded again. "Well, he wanted to know if you were sleeping and eating. You could tell him about that. Just write about what we do all day." She patted his hand encouragingly. It took Merlin most of the morning to write but Morgana was pleased to see him engaged. It pleased her even more to see him mouthing words as he wrote. Gwen was retrieving lunch when Merlin finished, following the same cleanup ritual as before. Morgana sat closer and lit a bright red candle. "Do you want to seal it, Merlin?" He nodded but eyed the candle warily. She carefully folded the letter. "It's easy. I will drip the wax for you and you press my seal into it." She placed the stamp in Merlin's hand. "Are you ready?" At his nod, she tipped the candle and held it until there was a small puddle overlapping the edge. She blew out the candle and nodded to Merlin. He stood carefully on the chair and leaned over to press the seal into the wax. He looked at her questioningly. She counted to ten before nodding once more. He carefully pulled the seal away and handed it to her. "Now we will tie it to mine and Leon can send it with the messenger!" Merlin bounced happily and laughed. He clambered down and held her hand as they walked to Leon's chambers.

"Have you had any luck yet, Gaius?" To say that Arthur was bored was an understatement. He was being kept in quarantine, for his own safety according to Gaius, ever since arriving two days ago. This village was as yet unaffected meaning that they had successfully headed off the culprit however Gaius wasn't taking any chances with Arthur's health. No one in the village was even aware of Arthur's presence. They had arrived in that quietest time between night and morning.

Telling Gaius about Edwin had been somewhat anticlimactic. Not only had Gaius not recognized the name, but his magic was not strong enough to use the incantation. Bringing Merlin was not an option and Arthur did not want to involve the druids unless absolutely necessary. For now, he had to rely on Gaius' methods to keep the people alive until they could capture the sorcerer and force him to withdraw the enchanted insects.

"Arthur, my magic is simply not strong enough. Even if I still regularly used it, I am an old man. This sorcerer may well be in his prime!" Gaius' tone was exasperated. Arthur found himself actually twiddling his thumbs in the awkward silence that followed. Gaius sighed. "Arthur, I know you are unused to waiting idly, but if we are to capture Edwin, we must keep your presence a secret. Think of it like a hunt. I know you would not be such an accomplished hunter if you crashed about the forest announcing your presence."

Arthur laughed at that. "I do not crash about. You've been listening to too many of Morgana's stories."

"It can't be much longer. Why don't I go fetch our dinners now? You must be hungry. Young men are always hungry."

Arthur smiled. He was about to ask if the knights could join them when he heard the clatter of a horse arriving. Gaius headed off Arthur's attempt to answer the door and raised his eyebrow until Arthur backed away.

"Who is it?" he asked at the knock.

"Messenger from Camelot. I bring letters for… um… you-know-who?" The messenger, clearly warned against revealing Arthur's presence, stammered his way through.

With an exasperated shake of his head, Gaius answered the door and accepted the bundle of letters.

"Will the- I mean… Should I wait for a response?" The messenger asked uncertainly.

"There is a second messenger. You will take his room and have him ready to ride as soon as possible. He can wait here." Arthur gave his orders without a thought. Until Gaius turned to give him the bundle together with another raised brow. Arthur cleared his throat and backed away strategically. Gaius sighed again as he left.

Arthur grouped the candles near himself and began opening his letters. His father's response was as expected. Nothing sentimental beyond wishing him a safe endeavor. That response was quick to write.

Leon's letter was much more of list of the daily goings on with the squires and Merlin. Arthur was glad to hear that Merlin was adjusting to Morgana's care. He agreed with Leon that Merlin's tiredness during the day was likely due to nightmares during the night. Merlin usually woke at least once in the night but most of the time, Arthur had been able to soothe him back to sleep. In this case however, Morgana would not be particularly reassuring to Merlin and it would be wholly impossible to have Leon there overnight. He included some suggestions for the squires' training and a summary of his own plans for Edwin. He wrote back his approval of the idea to take Merlin outside.

Morgana, it appeared, had written two letters. She had written in large letters to OPEN THIS FIRST and he was tempted to defy her just for fun. In the end, he obeyed and read through the main letter first. Just like Leon, Morgana gave a lengthy description of Merlin's health and behavior. He was surprised to learn about Katrina's support. He couldn't understand why she supported him so easily. He smirked when she threatened him with REAL trouble, in large letters again, when he returned. She then gave him special permission to open the next letter, closing with a suspicious wish that he enjoy his surprise. He weighed the unopened letter first, not entirely sure that Morgana was above sending him dung via royal messenger. He finally opened seal and read curiously.

Dear Arthur,

Arthur did not recognize the writing. He skipped to the end and nearly choked with surprise. There, written ever so neatly, was Merlin.

I am sleeping a lot. I eat a lot too. Leon gave me an apple but it was mushy. I eat a lot of mushy food.

Arthur laughed. He really should ask Gaius when it would be okay to let Merlin have real food. Bland and soft had been Gaius' orders, but perhaps it gone on too long.

Gwen sews a lot. Morgana too. They are making me more clothes. How many clothes do I need?

Indeed, Arthur thought to himself. Poor Merlin was probably being treated like a doll. He was glad Leon was there to divert some of that attention. He wouldn't be surprised if Leon came away from this with a new shirt or two.

Sir Leon tells me stories. I like the Arthur stories best.

Arthur would have to add a note on Leon's letters to ask just which stories were being told.

Katrina reads me stories from books. I do not know who she is, but she is nice.

Arthur paused a moment there. He supposed they had never been formally introduced but Merlin must have really been overwhelmed to not remember meeting Katrina. He wasn't too surprised with the first instance, Merlin had been right terrified. Merlin had been exhausted that night too, and possibly the news of Arthur's departure had overshadowed everything else.

Morgana says she is not trouble. She says you will be surprised. Are you surprised? Will you write back to me too? I like to read.

I miss you. I am getting better and stronger. Please come home soon. Be safe too.

Merlin

Arthur was entirely certain that men were not supposed to have feelings, especially not princes that would be soon coming of age. However, he remembered his father once saying that fatherhood had a tendency to tenderize even the most stoic men. He wasn't Merlin's father, but he definitely felt tenderized. He had to wonder under what conditions Merlin had learned to write. Given what he already knew, they would have been uncomfortable, to say the least. Still, he was ever so slightly grateful because now he could communicate directly with Merlin despite the distance.

He quickly added post scripts to Leon and Morgana's letters before settling down to write back to Merlin. Gaius returned and tried to get his attention, but Arthur finished his letter to Merlin before giving it.

"He's here."

My little cousin wrote me a letter when I left for uni (she would have been 7) and I used that to phrase Merlin's letter. I hope you liked it!

Thanks for reading :)